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By shifting the focus of funding to be nature and climate positive, we can ensure farmers and crofters are able to produce food and provide employment in a way that is genuinely sustainable.

It’s fair to say that many of us in Scotland feel a deep affinity with farming and the landscapes and cultures it creates. However, the policy and the public money that supports the majority of farming isn’t well understood.

Scotland’s land and how we use it is hugely important in our fight against climate change and nature loss.  Given that agriculture is Scotland’s main land use, Scottish farmers and crofters are key actors in making sure we reach climate change targets, restore nature, and produce food sustainably.

The Covid pandemic has shone an intense light upon the value of local farmland and greenspaces to nearby communities. It’s now clearer than ever that spending time in the countryside is vital to our health and wellbeing.

Trees on farms can regulate growing conditions benefiting crops and animals, provide shelter from wind and rain, regulate soil temperature, support important populations of pollinators, enhance water conservation, reduce soil erosion, and enrich soil fertility.

Farming in Scotland is important. It is an industry vital to our future which provides us with food, supports a rural workforce and underpins our food and drinks industry. However, we must also acknowledge the huge impacts that farming in Scotland has on nature.

On 20 June, Scottish Environment LINK wrote to the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands, announcing the launch by 24 environment charities of the Farm for Scotland’s Future campaign.