'Self-sufficiency', though an increasingly publicised term in the past decade, is virtually impossible without acceptance of a very limited diet - for instance, tea and coffee just can't be grown in Britain. Coll is far from being the ideal spot in which to practise even partial self-sufficiency due to the relatively short growing season, the problem of sheltering plants from the wind and the generally acidic soil. On the plus side though, are the comparatively mild winters and, for poultry keepers, the absence of foxes.

For any self-sufficiency venture the first consideration is to determine priorities and assess resources - especially if capital is short! Priorities depend upon family lifestyles and we are fortunate in that we can earn without being tied to a timetable: in bad weather we concentrate on income and on fine days the outdoor work takes priority.

Initially we have been concentrating on bringing land into production. Hens were the next step. They are proving a help in land clearance, supplementing the compost, and providing enormous entertainment in our idle moments as well as giving us lovely fresh eggs. We opted for a pure breed rather than commercial hybrids as we consider the possibly slightly lower level of egg production more than compensated for by their attractive appearance. Sometimes economics must take second place to aesthetics!

Usually however, we consider carefully the economics of each step in the progression and have decided that raising animals for meat on a small scale would be uneconomic because of the cost of importing feedstuffs and running a freezer - unless all the meat was salted in the old style. Poultry and dairy beasts make better sense - especially on an island where milk is expensively imported. So, logically, our next step should be the acquisition of a dairy animal to achieve self-sufficiency in milk and, hopefully, cheese and butter. We have just about enough land to support a goat or two with minimal outlay on concentrates.

On Coll we are fortunate in that we can cut peat and collect driftwood - the latter for building and fuel - which enables us to keep our fuel bills to a minimum. One of the biggest problems is transport; we have just sold our car, we used it so little that it made economic nonsense. Walking is satisfactory if time (and weather!) are on your side; cycling is more efficient, but neither is the complete answer for carrying heavy items. A sailing boat actually makes better economic sense than a normal car for island dwellers, giving a degree of independence from the ferry for the importation of items which must be bought. But this is for future consideration!