Use farming support as a mechanism to enable farmers to shift to climate and nature-friendly farming methods, with 75% of these supporting better environmental outcomes by the end of the parliamentary term
Public funds should be a key driver for change, as well as providing support to mitigate and adapt. These should be diverted from basic payments to those delivering minimal positive environmental outcomes to focus on helping farmers and crofters adopt new practices and invest in new systems, including using powers on capping and tapering payments in the Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Act 2024, to maximise the cost effectiveness of public spending.
A £500m Agricultural Transformation Fund to cover the period up to 2030, with a further multiyear funding plan using a blend of public and private finance, would give long-term security to farmers and crofters and support them through the transition to climate and nature-friendly farming.
There is strong public support for changing how we support Scottish agriculture. In polling carried out by Survation for WWF Scotland 74% of respondents said that farmers should be paid to produce food, protect nature and reduce emissions, and 89% said that farming and crofting has an important role to play in tackling climate change and restoring nature.
Farmers are seeing the impacts of a changing climate, with record breaking rain in early 2024 devastating last year’s crops of wheat, barley, oats and oilseed rape, and most are concerned about the impact of climate change on their ability to make a living. Ensuring Scotland’s land-based activities are well-adapted to climate changes is essential. As per insights from Adaptation Scotland, this includes adaptation to support livelihoods, nature restoration, food production, economic prosperity, housing, and supporting people’s health and wellbeing.
Continued and expanded support to farmers and rural industries to improve carbon literacy is needed if solutions to some of the challenges facing the sector are to be identified and actioned appropriately. Training – such as that provided by SAC Consulting and Keep Scotland Beautiful – can support this shift in attitude and lead to better environmental choices being made.
For more information:
- The 10 Elements of Agroecology: Guiding the Transition to Sustainable Food and Agricultural Systems, Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations
- Farming for 1.5 report, National Farmers Union Scotland and Nourish Scotland, 2021