crofts

Croft is a term used for a small agricultural holding, typically including a dwelling and a modest area of cultivated land and grazing, found especially in Scotland, parts of northern England, and Ireland. A person who works a croft is called a crofter. Crofts are usually tenanted rather than owned outright, and land use is often for subsistence farming, dairy, vegetables, and sheep or cattle grazing. In Gaelic regions they form a distinct social and economic unit within landed estates, with crofting communities sharing common grazing rights.

Historically, crofting developed in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, where large estates were subdivided into numerous crofts under long-term tenancies. The system led to protections for crofters through legislation such as the Crofters' Holdings Act of 1886, which established security of tenure, fair rents, and other rights, helping to shield crofters from eviction. Regulation of crofting later evolved into dedicated bodies to oversee crofting law and crofter matters. Today, crofts remain in Scotland's crofting counties, though many have been sold or consolidated, and some are used for diversification, tourism, or as residential plots; crofting remains a distinctive form of smallholder farming in the region.

The plural form crofts simply refers to multiple croft holdings. The term also exists as a surname; Crofts may refer to people bearing the surname or to places named Crofts.