Measuring the impacts of Scotland's agricultural support – a national level monitoring framework

Strategic Outcomes Framework

The Strategic Outcomes Framework is set out in Table 1. It sets out the five high-level Strategic Outcomes designed for the Rural Support Plan, and the underpinning sub-outcomes.

The Strategic Outcomes were developed in 2024 through a series of stakeholder engagement sessions. They are based on the ARC Act objectives, as follows, which are to be delivered through the Rural Support Plan:

1. the promotion and support of agricultural practices that protect and improve animal health and welfare,

2. the production of high-quality food,

3. the adoption and use of sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices,

4. the facilitation of on-farm nature restoration, climate mitigation and adaptation, and

5. enabling rural communities to thrive.

The five Strategic Outcomes articulate what successful delivery of these ARC Act objectives would mean in practice. The framework provides a structure for an inherently dynamic and interconnected system. While the Rural Support Plan will help deliver these outcomes, many factors beyond the Plan’s control (such as market trends, weather, and cultural shifts) will also shape results.

Table 1 sets out the Strategic Outcomes and sub-outcomes. It is important to note that sub-outcomes are not secondary to the Strategic Outcomes. In this context, “sub” refers to outcomes that are subsidiary to the Strategic Outcomes and provide detail on what those mean in practice. They are integral to the delivery of each Strategic Outcome and provide the level of detail against which indicators have been selected.

The sub-outcomes are grouped under outcome areas, for the purposes of the framework. However, sub-outcomes can contribute to more than one Strategic Outcome (directly and indirectly) and progress in one area can influence progress in another, both positively and negatively.

This reflects the need to protect nature, restore biodiversity, and tackle climate change through both mitigation and adaptation, to ensure a future where farming can thrive.

As an example, for the purposes of the framework structure, animal health and welfare is grouped within the High Quality Food Production Strategic Outcome. Beyond that structural decision, however, we recognise that improving the health and welfare of livestock delivers other benefits as well, such as the reduction of Greenhouse Gas emissions from animals. The delivery of other objectives, such as the planting of trees on farms, will also provide benefits for animal health and welfare. The interactions between the sub-outcomes is something that systems mapping is supporting us to better understand, and that will be reflected through our evaluation reports. Evaluation-informed systems mapping^[[i]] will help us understand not only to whether interventions are working, but also how they affect the wider system. It looks at the links between people, organisations and processes to identify wider impacts, including unintended consequences and additional benefits. This can help reveal important changes that may not be captured by traditional indicators and provide evidence of broader value created by interventions.

Table 1: Strategic Outcomes and sub-outcomes

Strategic Outcome

1. High Quality Food Production

The primary food production sector, including crop and livestock systems, is a productive part of the economy that supports improved livestock health and helps meet more of our own food needs more sustainably.

Sub-Outcome

1a. Animal health and welfare: Continue to improve animal health and welfare standards

1b. Diversity of output: Increase the diversity of food produced to improve food system resilience, including increased domestic vegetable and fruit production, by building on existing strengths including small scale producers and smallholders, adopting new technologies and supporting integrated land use approaches

1c. Environmental impact: Improve productivity whilst improving Scotland’s natural and historic environment through regenerative and sustainable agricultural practices

1d. Value produced: Increase the aggregate value of output produced

Strategic Outcome

2. Enabling Thriving Rural Communities

Supporting vibrant, sustainable and inclusive rural communities. Agricultural businesses play a critical role in communities by supporting local livelihoods, supply chains and the wider rural economy.

Sub-Outcomes

2a. Support payments: Maintain reformed direct payments and ensure timely delivery of agricultural support to businesses

2b. Workforce diversity: Increase diversity in the agricultural workforce

2c. Minimum Agricultural wage: Ensure that all employed in the agricultural sector are receiving an agricultural minimum wage

2d. Sustainable and empowered communities: Enable communities to build on their strengths and tackle their local challenges

Strategic Outcome

3. Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation

Greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from the agricultural sector are reduced in line with the five yearly carbon budgets, with actions outlined in the Climate Change Plan (CCP), and the ability to adapt to climate change is increased.

Sub-Outcome

3a. Adaptation: Enhance climate resilience on farms and in rural communities by increasing climate adaptation actions on farms and crofts

3b. Carbon stores: Maintain or increase carbon stores on agricultural land including below and above ground stores and those on peaty soils

3c. Livestock emissions: Reduce emissions from red meat and dairy, in particular by lowering emissions intensity through improved genetics and new technologies

3d. Soil emissions and efficiency: Minimise GHG emissions by reducing reliance on nitrogen fertiliser use and improving nitrogen use efficiency

3e. Machinery emissions: Reduce emissions from agricultural machinery

3f. Slurry emissions: Reduce emissions from the use and storage of manure and slurry.

Strategic Outcome

4. Nature Restoration

There will be substantial regeneration in, and maintenance of, biodiversity, ecosystem, and soil health on agricultural land. This will be developed in a way which works both for people and nature, while being integrated with sustainable food production.

Sub-Outcome

4a. Nature rich habitat (landscape): Manage farmland as nature rich habitat contributing nature rich habitat at landscape scale

4b. Nature rich habitat (holding): Manage a proportion of each farm/croft holding as nature rich habitat

4c. Air and water quality: Improve air and water quality

4d. Soil health: Manage all soils to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem health, and minimise loss and degradation

4e. Historic environment: Whilst advancing nature restoration, manage historic sites sympathetically aiming where appropriate to maintain or improve condition

Strategic Outcome

5. Support for a Just Transition

Farmers and crofters are supported through the climate and nature transition, developing the skills and knowledge needed for sustainable and regenerative farming, to enable innovation, and attracting a new generation to the industry. They are empowered to make decisions about their future, with their social, physical, and mental wellbeing supported throughout.

Sub-Outcome

5a. Skills: Improve uptake of skills development and increase our understanding of skills gaps

5b. Knowledge exchange: Improve collaborative learning and increase opportunities for knowledge exchange and peer-to-peer learning

5c. Wellbeing and mental health: Improve awareness and accessibility of wellbeing and mental health services

5d. Access to services: Improve satisfaction with customer ability to access and engage with digital services

Alignment with UN SDGs and Scotland’s National Performance Framework

The following diagram depicts how the Vision for Agriculture (central circle) and its Strategic Outcomes (inner green ring), map to the National Performance Framework (NPF) outcomes^[[ii]] (middle ring) and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (outer ring). A key for the icons can be found below the diagram.

Key: NPF outcomes

We have a globally competitive, entrepreneurial, inclusive and sustainable economy

We are well educated, skilled and able to contribute to society

We have thriving and innovative businesses, with quality jobs and fair work for everyone

We are healthy and active

We value, enjoy, protect and enhance our environment

Key: Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 1: No poverty

SDG 2: Zero hunger

SDG 5: Gender equality

SDG 6: Clean water and sanitation

SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth

SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production

SDG 13: Climate action

SDG 15: Life on land

Alignment with other Scottish Government strategies

We are adopting an integrated approach to monitoring the Rural Support Plan. To support this, the Strategic Outcomes in the framework are designed to align with the outcomes of other key Scottish Government strategies, such as the Scottish Climate Change Plan, Scottish National Adaptation Plan, Scottish Biodiversity Strategy and the National Good Food Nation Plan. Aligning outcomes ensures consistency across policies, and helps deliver more coherent and effective outcomes for rural communities and the environment.

More specifically, the indicators chosen for the Rural Support Plan Monitoring Framework have been mapped against monitoring plans for these strategies. We have aligned indicators where appropriate, and signposted where that was more suitable. Where indicators are aligned with other plans, these are highlighted throughout the report. The annex details where other contextual indicators in these plans may be helpful for providing a wider picture.