Uneven Fields

In 2022, the Scottish Parliament passed the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act, which commits the government to building a fairer, healthier, and more sustainable food system. Scotland takes pride in its sustainability efforts, and Edinburgh has a growing network of farms, gardens, and co-ops producing food locally. Yet a wide gap remains between where that food is grown and who can afford to eat it. Outside of commercial supermarkets, few places in the city sell locally grown produce and ethically sourced meat under one roof. The places that do tend to be expensive or located on the edge of the city. Central Edinburgh has co-ops and community gardens, but cost remains a barrier. In lower-income neighborhoods, fresh local food is even harder to find, and residents are often left with supermarkets that rarely prioritize local or sustainable options.

Several organizations are working to close this gap. Lauriston Farm, a 100-acre urban farm in northwest Edinburgh run by the Edinburgh Agroecology Co-operative, and community groups such as Transition Edinburgh grow a wide range of crops that are harvested and shared with neighbors, including through weekly community meals. In Craigmillar, Edinburgh Food Social focuses on food education, teaching children and adults how to cook with fresh produce and meat. The meals they prepare are shared with the community through weekly meals and food pantries. On the meat side, Mathieson Craft Butchers balances tradition with sustainability, supplying local meat to other farm shops in Edinburgh. Though its prices sit at the higher end, it is one of the few butchers in the city that maintains direct relationships with farmers and knows exactly where its meat comes from. Craigie’s Farm, west of the city near South Queensferry, raises livestock and grows produce for sale in its own farm shop. It offers everything in one place, but at a premium price and in a location that is hard to reach without a car. Four years after the Good Food Nation Act became law, Edinburgh still has a long way to go in making sustainable, local food accessible to everyone.