Access To Land
Scotland is the second largest country in the United Kingdom and represents 7.9 million hectares including the islands. Its farmland area and usage is shaped by terrain, climate and history. Scotland has the most concentrated pattern of land ownership in the developed world.
It is known for its landscape of large estates and the forced eviction of rural populations in the 18th and 19th century to make way for sporting activities and intensive sheep grazing. At the opposition end of the scale, Scotland is home to crofting, a unique form of small tenanted farms.
Recent land reform and an increase in community ownership has drawn attention not just from England, south of the border but from the rest of Europe and the world.
