crofting

Crofting is a traditional system of land tenure and small-scale agriculture in the Scottish Highlands and Islands. A croft is a small agricultural holding, typically leased by a crofter from a landlord or from a crofting community, often combining cultivation of arable plots with livestock rearing. Much crofting land includes common grazing, managed by the crofting township and shared among crofters.

Crofters usually hold long-term leases under statutory protections, and many crofts are linked to a system of common grazings governed by local crofting communities. Governance is carried out through elected representatives and the Crofting Commission, which registers crofts, oversees tenancy matters, and administers the use of common grazing rights.

History and law: The crofting system emerged in the aftermath of the Highland Clearances and was formalized by late-19th-century legislation, notably the Crofters' Holdings Act of 1886 that secured tenure and protections for crofters. The 20th and 21st-century Crofting Acts, including the establishment of the Crofting Commission, regulate tenure, rent, decrofting (detaching land from a croft for other use), and the management of common grazing rights, with ongoing reforms to modernize the framework.

Economy and culture: Crofting supports rural livelihoods in the Highlands and Islands and is closely linked to Gaelic language and culture. It has faced challenges such as depopulation and economic pressure, but crofts have diversified into horticulture, tourism, small-scale farming, and, in some areas, renewable energy projects.

Notable regions include the Western Isles, Sutherland, Caithness, and Skye. Crofting remains a distinctive feature of rural Scotland and a focus of rural development policy.