Conceived as a “sea croft” system, CLIMAVORE identifies the intertidal zone as a productive land that regenerates ocean water, contributes to food security, and strengthens the seafood supply chain along the west coast of Scotland. Continuing four years of work on a transition to cleaner forms of aquaculture in Skye, CLIMAVORE is exploring the ground for a scalable and appealing model that can attract young talent to work in the seafood sector, committed to take action on the climate emergency. The cross-disciplinary collaboration between designers and marine scientists will trial a modular system that can later be replicated in other coastal communities. Working with scientific experts and industry in Scotland and Sweden to establish the UK’s first intertidal polyculture farm, the project is cultivating a variety of low-trophic species using small-scale methods to create a new model that improves environmental ocean conditions, strengthens the evidence base for diversified uses of tidal space as a form of care, and provides a new economy for island communities. The aim is to grow biofiltering species nearshore, accessible by foot and create a new low-investment and cost-effective approach to transition from damaging forms of intensive aquaculture into regenerative forms of aquaculture.

Curious to learn more about growing food in the tidal zone? Get in touch!

Intertidal habitats, Isle of Skye. Cooking Sections, 2019.