An enterprising SAC Consulting advisor , who open up the use of the robust Polycrub polytunnel for numerous island businesses , has moved from Stornoway to get together the Oban - establish team .
Rob Black , who work out for SAC Consulting on the Isle of Lewis for four years , successfully apply for Hiram Ulysses Grant funding from the Crofting Agricultural Grants Scheme ( CAGS ) to invest in the inflexible - framed greenhouse .
CAGS subsidisation – which keep going infrastructure projects in the Highlands and Islands Enterprise ( HIE ) arena – are typically used by crofters for agricultural improvement such as drainage , reseeding or erecting farm buildings .
The backing has enabled scores of island croft to branch out their incomes into a host of covered crops – include salads , vegetables and even Hebridean lemons .
Rob said : “ The Polycrub is a greenhouse that is manufactured in Shetland by what was a community - go social enterprise project . It is made from recycled materials , including wastefulness tobacco pipe reclaimed from the Salmon River farm industry .
“ For crofters , making a traditional bread and butter from the sale of boeuf and sheep is impossible without another source of income . One of my clients had been considering diversifying into farm fresh produce , but he knew this would only be possible in a very rich structure like the Polycrub , because his croft is so exposed .
“ I put up to work with him to see if we could obtain CAGS financial backing for erecting four Polycrubs on his croft . It took a lot of employment , but we successfully received the grant , which gave him 80 per cent of the capital price for the projection . ”
Rob has since been meet by more than 100 people looking to install Polycrubs , or similar social organization , to extend the setting of their crofting and husbandry businesses .
“ There is a wad of land that ’s derelict on the island and mass do n’t want to take on crofts that wo n’t make money from sheep , ” he said . “ The Polycrub , and the related funding , has impart crofter an choice ; all of a sudden they can have livestock and fresh garden truck , so it ’s a bang-up selection either for current crofters to tally another go-ahead , or for new newbie to make a startle . ”
Rob ’s expertness has since extend to his amour in setting up a Rural Innovation Support Service ( RISS ) grouping with local producers to explore fresh itinerary to market , and a supply Ernst Boris Chain , for produce grown in Polycrubs and other covered anatomical structure on the island .
“ Polytunnels and glasshouse offer the opportunity to supply sweet , local produce to local coffeehouse , hotels and shops , and to shorten the carbon footprint of the local food economy , ” he said . “ The RISS group is still in its infancy , but it has huge potentiality to make a actual departure to the local food economy , and it ’s great to be using my experience to aid develop this idea . ”
Rob was to begin with contribute up in East Lothian and is from a non - farming background . He canvass at SRUC before becoming a adviser .
“ I always wanted to be an SAC Consultant and my first posting was to Stornoway which has been a thought-provoking , but hugely rewarding plaza to form , ” he say .
“ I had no idea of the space I ’d need to cover , nor the atmospheric condition conditions I ’d have to contend with , to visit clients on the islands – some visits were four hours and two islands aside from our agency .
“ But I ’d be hard - pressed to find more bouncy , welcoming and pioneer people anywhere in the world . ”
Rob will extend his intimacy in corroborate crofters to broaden into polytunnels , Polycrubs and greenhouse on mainland Scotland , and will bear on to be involved in the projects he started in the Outer Hebrides .
“ The idea are endless for how these structures can be used for production and income generation , even in the extreme conditions that the Highlands and Islands crofter encounter , ” he said .
root : SRUC
