A new alliance of farmers, growers and food system campaigners are set to rally outside Scottish Parliament next week to call on the government to do more to support farmers to shift to nature-friendly farming.

The Scottish Agroecology Partnership – a brand new alliance of progressive farming organisations in Scotland – is calling on Scottish Government to deliver on its promise of a just transition for agriculture, with a rally and community meal outside the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday 3 September.

They will be rallying outside parliament to express their disappointment with current policy proposals for rural support. Despite "promising rhetoric" in the Land and Agriculture Just Transition Plan, the partnership is concerned that the government’s current rural support proposals “fail to deliver” on supporting a more sustainable future.
Speaking on behalf of the Scottish Agroecology Partnership, Tara Wight, Scotland Campaigns Coordinator at the Landworkers’ Alliance, said: “We are challenging the narrative that farmers don’t want change. There are thousands of farmers and crofters across Scotland who are ready to lead this transition – but they need policies and funding mechanisms that support them, not shut them out.
“The government’s current rural support proposals fail to deliver on social justice or on offering any meaningful support for farmers and crofters to transition towards a more sustainable and regenerative future.”
 
 * Rally at Scottish Parliament: farmer voices and locally sourced food *  
The rally will take place from 12 – 2pm on Wednesday 3 September outside Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh.
On the day farmers and crofters will speak out for change, sharing their experiences and vision for the future. The event will feature clear, practical proposals for a just transition in agriculture, alongside a community meal of with locally sourced, agroecological produce. 
Tara added: “We are calling on anyone who cares about the future of food and farming to join us at this event to call for positive change. It will be a powerful show of solidarity and collective action for a fairer, more sustainable food system.”
 
 * Partnership calls for a “just transition” to sustainable food and farming *  
According to the partnership, under the proposed direction of travel, the majority of the farming budget will continue to benefit large landowners and big businesses, while those practising agroecology and more sustainable farming practices struggle to survive. This approach is undermining Scotland’s climate, biodiversity, and rural livelihood goals, the alliance says.
Susi Stuehlinger is policy coordinator at Scottish Crofting Federation, a member of the Scottish Agroecology Partnership and crofter in the Ross of Mull. She said: “Currently, the largest landholdings receive the most agricultural support, while family farms are struggling to survive. We need a system that puts communities and ecosystems before corporations and wealthy individuals profits, and instead truly supports crofters and small producers in building resilient local supply chains.” 

Tim Barnes, a sheep farmer in Dumfries and Galloway who supports the partnership’s asks, added: "Redistribution of agricultural support would sustain and grow our rural communities, as well as enabling the production and distribution of many essential foods at the local level." 

The Scottish Agroecology Partnership is a growing network of over 3,000 farmers, crofters, and landworkers, united in calling for the agricultural budget to be redistributed to support a just transition that works for people, communities, and the environment. Their proposals centre redistributive justice, support for agroecological farming, and locally rooted food systems.