Date: Friday, November 14th
Location: Balgonie Farm, Fife (exact address and meeting point provided upon registration)
Hosts: This event is co-hosted by the Scottish Nature Finance Pioneers, the Integrating Nature Finance and Biodiversity programme and the Centre for Sustainable Forests and Landscapes at University of Edinburgh.
Join us for a unique opportunity to step onto the ground of a live Landscape Enterprise Networks (LENs) project. This site visit to Balgonie Farm, a key demonstrator site within the pioneering LENs, where we will move the conversation from theory to practice.
The day has been designed to provide a tangible, on-the-ground understanding of how the LENs model is being implemented to address local issues and align demand for ecosystem services with investment.
The day will be split into two focused sessions:
Morning: The Farming PerspectiveWe will begin with a tour of Balgonie Farm, exploring its commercial farming activities. We will discuss the realities of land management, the challenges and opportunities faced, and how participation in the Leven LENs project is creating new value and enabling environmental improvements.
Afternoon: The Research and TrialsFollowing lunch, the focus we will discuss the agricultural trials conducted on the farm by Scottish Agronomy. This session will explore the practical R&D that informs sustainable land management decisions and explore how this science directly connects to the ecosystem service outcomes that drive the LENs model.
Throughout the day, we will explicitly link each activity back to its LENs relevance, providing a comprehensive view of how nature finance is being activated within the area.
Itinerary for the Day:
- 10:00 AM: Arrival, welcome, and introductions at Balgonie Farm.
- 10:15 AM - 12:30 PM: Guided farm tour and morning session.
- 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM: Networking lunch (provided).
- 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM: Afternoon session with Scottish Agronomy.
- 3:30 PM: Final Q&A and reflections
- 4:00 PM: [Optional ] Post-field trip gathering with attendees at Howe Beer Project (a brewery co-founded by one of our co-hosts)
Additional Notes:
- Please dress appropriately for the weather and walking on a farm, remember we are in Scotland so it can be four seasons in a day! (waterproofs, sturdy boots).
- Exact details on parking and what to bring will be confirmed upon RSVP.
This event is part of the "Recipes for Recovery" Series:This site visit is a companion to our recent online session,"Exploring LENs as a route to nature finance in the Leven Catchment". It also precedes our upcoming webinar on November 20th – “Exploring how natural capital finance can help to save Scotland’s Rainforests” with the Argyll Countryside Trust and Sylvestris.
Questions? Please contact Sally Matchett at smatchett@scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk.
