Farmers and crofters – can you help shape the future of farming practices in Scotland?

"There is increasing interest amongst policy makers about agroecological farming approaches – and whether these types of practices improve sustainability and how they can increase the resilience of agricultural businesses in Scotland to cope with external shocks such as the COVID-19 crisis, biodiversity loss or climate change."

SEFARI Gateway and the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission (FFCC) are funding a collaborative project between the James Hutton Institute, the Soil Association Scotland, and Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society (SAOS) to carry out research in relation to farming practices in Scotland.

They are carrying out the Scottish Farming Practices Survey 2021 to understand how certain farming practices that aim to improve sustainability can provide (or not) long term benefits for land productivity.

Dr Luz-Maria Lozada-Ellison, a social scientist at the James Hutton Institute, explains: "There is increasing interest amongst policy makers about agroecological farming approaches – and whether these types of practices improve sustainability and how they can increase the resilience of agricultural businesses in Scotland to cope with external shocks such as the COVID-19 crisis, biodiversity loss or climate change."

The results of the survey will be made publicly available later this year through the project partners, farming organisations and SEFARI Gateway.

To take part in this 10-15 minute online survey please click here: Scottish Farming Practices Survey 2021 [1]

Your participation is extremely valuable, anonymous and completely voluntary. Your knowledge and experience about farming and the practices you are implementing on your land will inform and help to refine recommendations to policy to shape the future of farming in Scotland.