Measuring the impacts of Scotland's agricultural support – a national level monitoring framework
The monitoring framework for Scotland’s agricultural support
Strategic outcome 2: Enabling thriving rural communities
Our rural and island areas have an abundance of world-renowned heritage, and vibrant, diverse communities and economies. They also offer significant opportunities for economic growth through renewables, natural capital and natural finance, agriculture, forestry, marine industries, and digital technologies. However, rural and island communities face significant and persistent challenges, such as availability of affordable, local housing, access to regular and reliable public transport, affordable childcare, higher living costs and demographic challenges.
As such, this strategic outcome is underpinned by three sub-outcomes and monitored through the indicators demonstrated in Figure 3, but also supported by monitoring activities for the community-development elements of the Rural Support Plan, including Community-Led Local Development, Forestry Grant Scheme and the Scottish Rural Network.
Indicators for baseline
- Total annual value of support to agricultural businesses (stable)
- Percentage of farm businesses paid on time (increasing)
- Diversity of agricultural workforce (increasing)
- Non-compliance with minimum agricultural wage (decreasing)
- Agricultural household income (increasing)
Sub-outcomes
- Support payments
- Workforce diversity
- Minimum Agricultural Wage
- Sustainable and empowered communities
Strategic Outcome
- 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-outcome 2a: Support payments
Maintain reformed direct payments and ensure timely delivery of agricultural support to businesses
It is recognised that support payments to the agricultural sector incentivise the adoption of sustainable and regenerative practices, as well as contribute to farm viability and resilience. Direct payments are to be tracked though total value of payments and the timeliness of payments, so that the impact of support can be clearly connected to the payments themselves.
|
Indicator (Source) |
Desired trend |
Data description |
Context and limitations |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Total annual value of support to agricultural businesses (Scottish Government Rural Payments and Inspections Division) |
Stable |
This tracks the nominal value of agricultural support payments disbursed annually to farming businesses in Scotland. |
Future evaluation of the RSP will provide a more detailed overview on the impact of farm payments on business viability and resilience. |
|
Percentage of farm businesses paid on time (Scottish Government Rural Payments and Inspections Division) |
Increasing |
This tracks the proportion of eligible farming businesses that receive agricultural support payments within the expected timeframe. |
This indicator reflects the efficiency and reach of the payment distribution process, highlighting the percentage of registered agricultural businesses that have successfully received payments. |
Sub-outcome 2b: Workforce diversity
Increase diversity in the agricultural workforce
Diversity in the agricultural workforce means increasing gender equality and women's participation in farming, as well as encouraging the new generation into the sector.
|
Indicator (Source) |
Desired trend |
Data description |
Context and limitations |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Diversity of agricultural workforce |
Increasing |
This tracks the representation of different groups within the agricultural workforce, specifically gender, disability, and age. |
Diversity data may be influenced by self-reporting bias or reluctance to disclose sensitive personal information, potentially affecting accuracy. |
Sub-outcome 2c: Minimum Agricultural Wage
Ensure that all employed in the agricultural sector are receiving an agricultural minimum wage
Tracking minimum agricultural wages ensures fair labour practices, protects vulnerable workers, and upholds legal standards that contribute to sustainable and socially responsible agricultural production. As minimum wage rates alone do not fully reflect fair work outcomes or living standards, household income is also included to assess whether workers can achieve a reasonable standard of living.
|
Indicator (Source) |
Desired trend |
Data description |
Context and limitations |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Non-compliance with minimum agricultural wage (Scottish Government Agricultural Wages Enforcement Team) |
Decreasing |
This tracks the number of inspected agricultural businesses not compliant with minimum wage and conditions under the Agricultural Wages Order, based on randomly selected control test inspections annually conducted by the Agricultural Wages Enforcement Team. |
This is used as a proxy for Fair Work First by capturing core elements of fair pay and conditions at a point in time. The data is limited to a snapshot from a small, randomly selected sample and does not capture wider Fair Work dimensions (e.g. voice, security, fulfilment). |
|
Agricultural household income |
Increasing |
This tracks the percentage of agricultural households earning over £30,000. |
Survey respondents were asked to include income (not profit) from each person in the household and all farm businesses and include grants, and not to deduct taxes, National Insurance contributions, Health Insurance Payments and Superannuation payments. This survey relies on self-reporting. |
Sub-outcome 2d: Sustainable and empowered communities
Enable communities to build on their strengths and tackle their local challenges
Rural and island areas in Scotland are characterised by internationally recognised heritage and vibrant, diverse communities and economies. They also offer significant opportunities for further growth, particularly across sectors such as renewables, natural capital, agriculture, forestry, marine industries, and digital. However, these areas continue to face persistent structural challenges, including limited access to affordable housing, reliable public transport, and childcare, alongside higher living costs and demographic pressures. Many of the key factors that underpin thriving rural communities fall beyond the remit of support available through the Rural Support Plan.
Monitoring and evaluation of community-development elements under the Rural Support Plan, specifically Community Led Local Development and the Scottish Rural Network, are being undertaken as part of the broader Scottish Rural Communities Policy Review. In future, these activities will be integrated into the Rural Support Plan’s formal reporting structures. As community-focused interventions, they contribute directly to the ARC Act objective of enabling thriving rural communities.
Contact
Email: socialresearch@gov.scot