Learning and skills

Agricultural support in Scotland is changing. From 2025, new conditionality will start to be introduced to agricultural payments, targeted towards biodiversity gain and a drive to low carbon approaches.

To help support farmers, crofter and land managers, Scottish Government have produced a range of information sheets to help farmers and crofters prepare for these changes, to identify recommendations that can lower emissions and increase efficiencies.

Peer Support in Scotland - National Network event

Heidi, Trish and Ross, peer leaders from Moray, Fife and the Borders, would like to welcome you to connect and start to build a network we can all benefit from and enjoy.

Peer support is where a person with lived experience of, for example a health condition, offers support to another person with a similar condition. Some peer supporters are paid, while others do so on a formal volunteer basis, and others provide informal pro bono support.

Vital in the fight to tackle climate change, peat covers more than 20% of Scotland and is crucial for water quality, richly diverse landscapes, slowing floods and wildfires, sustaining rural jobs and storing carbon.

An evaluation report - 'Women in Agriculture Practical Training Fund 2021-2022: evaluation report' - has been published by Scottish Government. 

An industry-led strategy which aims for a 25% increase in turnover for Scotland’s food and drink sector by 2028 has been published.

New conditions for farming support payments will be introduced from 2025, to help more of Scotland’s farmers and crofters cut emissions and help tackle climate change.

The criteria will also support farmers and crofters to meet more of our food needs sustainably, and farm and croft while working to protect nature.

From 2025 farmers and crofters will be required to adopt the following practices to qualify for the payment:

Gaelic projects aimed at increasing education provision and the use of innovative technologies are to receive a share of £4 million funding.

Five initiatives have been awarded funding as part of the Gaelic Capital Fund for 2023-24, including the development of the world’s first indigenous language virtual immersive hub on Islay. The new hub will utilise state-of-the-art technology, including virtual, immersive and mixed reality, as part of a unique Gaelic learning experience. Phase one of the project is expected to be completed in October this year.

Participants in a programme designed to encourage new entrants into farming have commented on its successes.

An evaluation of the Scottish Government’s Starter Farm Initiative shows that it has provided opportunities to run a farm business, and valuable skills and experience to enable participants secure future tenancies and further their agricultural careers.

Community-accessible woodland
Name of organisation/business: 
The Ecology Centre
Funding: 
Rural and Island Communities Ideas into Action - £17,542

Rural child poverty webinar for community councillors

The Improvement Service is hosting a free webinar on rural child poverty for community councillors on Tuesday 20th June from 3pm to 4pm.

The combination of COVID 19 and the cost-of-living crisis has put enormous pressure on already stretched family budgets, not least in remote, rural and island authorities. This comes at a time when the Scottish Government has pledged to significantly reduce child poverty across Scotland by 2030. 

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