Scottish Graduate School for Arts & Humanities

Host organisation: Cairngorms National Park Authority

Project title: Agricultural heritage for nature, people and place in the Cairngorms National Park

Project description

The research intern will be hosted by the Cairngorms National Park Authority but will work across two projects, including one delivered by a local partnership initiative in receipt of grant funding from the Cairngorms Trust.

1. Cairngorms Agri-Connections is a pilot project developed by Cairngorms Crofters and Farmers Community Ltd to support the wellbeing of crofters and farmers in the Cairngorms, while capturing valuable heritage knowledge, including farm visits, community gatherings and oral history recording. The pilot phase will be completed by February 2027. The intern will support the project team to deliver end of project outputs, including two social community gatherings and a booklet containing summary transcriptions and photographs as well as proposals going forward for any Phase 2.

2. As part of the Cairngorms 2030 Cairngorms Future Farming project, a cohort of farmers and crofters are working to transition to a whole-system regenerative farming approach. At the beginning of this process, farmers are encouraged to reflect on how people have cared for and worked the land in the past in order to plan for the future. To enhance the project, we would like to support participating farms to develop as detailed an account as possible of their place over time through archival research, oral history and place-based knowledge while also capturing this moment of local transition. The intern will pilot this approach with a small number of farms and make recommendations for future work.

Outputs

Cairngorms Agri-Connections
- Support volunteer community researchers to produce accessible and effective outputs which share the process and stories gathered throughout the first phase of the project.
- Support project leads and volunteers to plan and deliver successful community events.

Cairngorms Future Farming: regenerative transition support package
- Identify sources which could be used to produce a summary of changes in land use and tenure over time for specific landholdings, drawing on archive materials, placenames, oral history and intangible cultural heritage.
- Report on scope and feasibility of producing summary document for specific farms, piloting if possible.

In person/remote/hybrid

This internship would require some in-person activity but could involve hybrid/remote working for some elements. In-person engagement would be required for event organising and attendance, working with volunteers, conducting interviews and meeting participating farmers. When required, the intern could access hot-desking facilities at the Cairngorms National Park Authority offices in Grantown-on-Spey. Desk-based research could be undertaken in the National Park or remotely.

The pilot phase of Cairngorms Agri-connections needs to be completed by February 2027 and would probably suit 0.5 FTE commitment across January and February. The Cairngorms Future Farming work could be conducted part-time over a longer period or done simultaneously to make up to 1.0 FTE.

Benefits to the researcher

Opportunity to experience working with community groups, National Park Authority and crofters and farmers, all in one internship.

• A mix of independent project management and working as part of a diverse team of creative practitioners, crofters and farmers and volunteer community researchers.
• Opportunities for knowledge exchange / sharing experiences to inform future practice.
• Gain insight into delivery of both community-level grant funded activity and a large-scale National Lottery Heritage Fund supported programme.
• Organisational openness to creative approaches.

Key relationships

Cairngorms National Park Authority:

• Knowledge exchange officer
• Nature-based Solutions Officer
• Agricultural Adviser
• Local crofters and farmers

Agri-connections wellbeing and heritage:

• Grantown Museum
• Highland Folk MuseumPark / Am Baile
• Storylands Sessions | Badenoch The Storylands
• Cairngorms Crofters and Farmers Ltd (a group established in 2024 with the aim of promoting the interests of farmers and crofters in the Cairngorms and surrounding areas). The group is made up of experienced and dedicated farmers and crofters who are committed to ensuring that agriculture remains a vital part of our economy and culture.
• Volunteer community researchers
• CCFC Facilitator
• Local crofters, farmers and community members

Subject areas

This opportunity would be relevant to the following subject areas:

Cultural and Museum Studies; History; Media, Comms, Film & TV, Celtic Studies; Literatures.

Person specification

A1. Knowledge Base

• Essential: Information seeking; Information literacy and management. 
• Desirable: Subject knowledge; Research methods – theoretical knowledge; Research methods – Practical application. 

A2. Cognitive Abilities

• Essential: Analysing; Synthesising; Critical thinking; Evaluating; Problem solving.

A3. Creativity

• Essential: Inquiring minds; Innovation.

B1. Personal qualities

• Essential: Enthusiasm; Responsibility.
• Desirable: Perseverance; Integrity.

B2. Self management

• Essential: Preparation and prioritisation; Time management.
• Desirable: Work-life balance. 

B3. Professional & career development

• Desirable: Responsiveness to opportunities; Networking.

C1. Professional conduct

• Essential: Ethics, principles and sustainability; Respect and confidentiality. 
• Desirable: Health and Safety; Attribution and co-authorship. 

C2. Research management

• Desirable: Project planning and delivery.

D1. Working with others

• Essential: Team working; Collegiality; Equality and diversity. 

D2. Communication & dissemination

• Desirable: Communication methods; Communication media; Publication.

D3. Engagement & impact

• Essential: Public Engagement. 
• Desirable: Policy; Society and culture.

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First published: 28 September 2026