What we do

In Scotland, 73% of our land is farmed. Agriculture is the third biggest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions, and farm wildlife is declining fast. This makes Scotland’s farmers a vital part of the solution to the collective challenge of restoring our climate, nature and health.

Our three farming programmes – Farming for the Future, the Rural Innovation Support Service and Landscape Leadership – have one aim: to support and enable farmers to transition to more climate and nature-friendly ways of farming. Because practices like agroforestry and improving soil health also often improve business resilience, we believe they are good for the health of people and profits too.

The programmes bring farmers together in different ways – in farmer-led working groups, at on-farm events, in field labs and at residential sessions - to build the networks that allow for knowledge sharing and for collective experimentation. Farmers can be very isolated and we believe it’s easier to try new things together. We bring experts into the mix, often farmers themselves, to help share best practice.

The statistics and case studies below give a flavour of the impact of our work across all programmes since 2015, and you can find links to each programme at the bottom of the page.

Stats at a glance

• 89% of land managers adopting sustainable practices as a result of their engagement with our farming programmes

• Over 925 sq miles of farmland being managed differently thanks to our programmes

• 3,777 farmers engaged

• 96 farm events

• 37 farmer-led innovation groups

• 34 field lab meetings

• 209 organisations worked with

• 91% of farmers report an increase in knowledge, skills and confidence thanks to engagement with our programmes

• 68% of farmers say they formed networks and relationships as a result of attending our events

Case studies