Our story is not dissimilar from many other small farms across the UK; we grow around 60 different kinds of veg, have 180 CSA members and supply around 15 local restaurant customers. We also grow seed on contract for some brilliant seed companies. We employ the equivalent of four full time people in the main season.  

We are practising agroecological methods, including minimum tillage, composting, green manures, agroforestry, creating habitat for wildlife; all the while trying to be as productive as possible on our small acreage.  

Making healthy, local food accessible to all

Like most people in the sector we care very much about good food being accessible to everyone, no matter what your income or background. We think that access to good, healthy food is a right; so we operate our CSA scheme on a sliding scale, so that members can choose to pay a higher rate to help subsidise lower income members. About 15% of our members have chosen the lower income bracket.  

The reality of small-scale farming in Scotland

Everyone knows that it is incredibly difficult to make a living from farming. Our whole political economy is based on this fact that we all agree on, which is why our governments continue to support farmers with subsidies, all across the western world and beyond.

There is no doubt that the current subsidy system needs to be changed, in order to reward farmers who enhance their agrobiodiversity and prioritise feeding local people. However, as a smaller farm (under 3 hectares) we are automatically barred from accessing them, even though our farm is more productive, feeds more local people, generates more income and employs more people per hectare than bigger farms.  In this context, is it any wonder that market gardeners are struggling to make a decent living?  

How targeted support for market gardens would make a difference

When I was asked to speak at the rally outside the Scottish Parliament in September, I was asked to focus on what difference targeted support for market gardeners would make to us. The things that came to mind were:

• We would be able to pay ourselves and our staff fair wages. Being able to pay ourselves, as owner/operators, a living wage, is not a very sexy response. But it's absolutely vital if we want to be able to continue to feed ourselves as a nation.  
• We would improve our infrastructure, allowing us to feed more people, and aspire to schemes like the Welsh Veg in Schools project.  
• And finally we would be able to invest in our solidarity scheme which subsidises veg bags for those on low incomes, since diet-related ill health is a huge, very complicated problem in Scotland.

Why Scotland must value its market gardeners

All of that is true, but the main reason I agreed to speak at the event, despite being busy with the farm and childcare, is that I am growing increasingly frustrated that we, and our peers, aren’t being taken seriously.  

We are food producers, growing nourishing, healthy food that actually feeds our local communities directly. We contribute to Scotland’s food security and resilience in a time of growing uncertainty about global supply chains, and we do it in a way which increases biodiversity, provides a high number of meaningful jobs in proportion to the area we’re farming, increases access to fresh veg for those on low incomes and reinvigorates the rural economy.  

We are small but we have huge impacts, and we deserve to be taken seriously.  

- 29 October 2025