Scottish Crofting Federation launches training programme

The Scottish Crofting Federation (SCF) has launched its “Crofting for the Future” training programme to help crofters adapt to changes in agricultural support and address climate and biodiversity challenges.

Backed by 75% funding from the Scottish government’s Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund, this initiative will be rolled out across crofting counties in the coming months.

The latest figures from the Crofting Commission show that there are 21,186 crofts entered on the commission’s Register of Crofts (ROC), of which 15,137 are tenanted and the remainder owned. 

See also: Public’s views sought on crofting reform in Scotland

The training, based on SCF’s established Access to Crofting programme, features eight intensive two-day training courses and six online workshops scheduled to conclude by March 2025.

The first online workshop, titled “What do I need to do for 2025?”, took place on 22 October.

Led by SCF council member Donald MacKinnon, the session included insights from various agricultural experts, focusing on practical strategies for crofters.

Rather than traditional presentations, the workshop encouraged an interactive format where attendees could pose questions to the panel.

Early feedback from participants has been encouraging, emphasising the workshop’s structure and the relevance of its content.

One attendee’s response was: “Nothing worse than waffle at a webinar! This one was very open and easy to engage with, providing clear responses to issues.”

Another said: “More please so that crofters feel less isolated.”

In addition to online coaching, SCF will host in-person training sessions. The first two-day course is scheduled for Nether Lochaber on 15 and 16 November.

Future sessions will be held in locations such as Helmsdale, Applecross, Isle of Mull, Isle of Skye, Carloway and Shetland, with dates to be confirmed.

SCF chairman Jonathan Hedges expressed enthusiasm about the programme’s potential to support crofters in future-proofing their activities.

“I’m really pleased that our training programme will enable us to support crofters in a comprehensive way,” he said.