Land, food and inter-generational resilience

Who are Scotland's indigenous elders and are they important? A talk by Dr Lewis Williams and discussion on intergenerational resilience in a Scottish context.

As human driven activity continues to critically endanger the planet’s ecosystems, we are faced with deep and urgent questions concerning how we will live cooperatively and sustainably. Colonialism and modernity have resulted in unprecedented dislocation, intergenerational rupture and inter-species trauma, and fragmentation of traditional knowledge.

Community groups in Scotland are achieving amazing things by taking control of land and other commons - most prominently recognised by the community empowerment and community buyout legislation – but at the same time, there are so many structural inadequacies and these same community activists often feel overstretched and under-supported. Is there a more inspiring way of thinking about how we govern ourselves and steward the land in order to satisfy our needs for sustenance, connection, autonomy and security, not least a nourishing food system?

Common Good Food welcomes Dr Lewis Williams from the Alliance for Intergenerational Resilience (AIR), which is working with seven hubs across four countries (including Scotland) with the aim of strengthening intergenerational and interspecies connections through the revitalization of Indigenous knowledge. Drawing on emerging case studies, her presentation will discuss intergenerational resilience in the context of issues such as food sovereignty and cultural connectedness; Indigenous and Western views of intergenerational resilience; building relational and epistemological solidarities across culturally-diverse communities; and how to evaluate collective impact.

AIR are currently running an international crowdfunder to support their Seeding Intergenerational Resilience project, which include's Common Good Food's work on Farmhack Scotland. Find out more and donate to the crowdfunding campaign here.

Refreshments will be available. Tickets are free but donations welcome on the night.