The Value of Crofting report released by the Crofting Commission has confirmed what SCF has long known and campaigned on and that is that crofting brings valuable contributions not only to rural crofting communities, but to Scotland as a whole by delivering across all of the outcomes in the Scottish Government’s national performance framework. 

The report produced by BiGGAR Economics concludes that,'the full value of crofting cannot be estimated in pounds and pence. This report shows that crofting also delivers a whole host of wider social and environmental benefits many of which cannot be fully quantified. It shows how crofting practices are the epitome of regenerative agriculture. It demonstrates how crofting addresses the challenges of retaining people in Scotland’s most geographically peripheral communities, and it shows how crofting enhances our cultural and environmental landscapes'.

It shows that crofting adds £588m to the Scottish economy each year and creates 16,000 direct jobs plus another 16,000 jobs 'downstream'.  That is a significant contribution to the Scottish economy from Scotland's 20,000 crofts.  

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Crofts cover 25% of the Highlands and Islands land area and 15% of Scotland's land, mostly on poorer quality land and in remote areas. Crofts currently lie solely within the Highlands and Islands, where their impact is even more significant, contributing 5% of the total Gross Value Added (GVA) of the Highlands and Islands each year, and 6% of all jobs.

SCF chair, Jonathan Hedges said “This report evidences and underlines the importance of crofting to Scotland and strengthens the case for ensuring that crofters are supported appropriately for the wealth of public benefit that crofting delivers. Every £1 of public investment in crofting generates £13 GVA for the Scottish economy.”

“The report clearly shows that crofting not only delivers economically, but also for the environment, land management, community, health and for culture. That said however, for crofting to reach its full potential, there needs to be better access to croft land for young folk, potentially through creation of new crofts, a subject we have long highlighted. Crofting is sometimes viewed as a ‘hobby’, but this report helps demonstrate that it is very much more than that and, as such, should be given the recognition and support it deserves.”