Most of Scotland's area is used for agriculture

Figure 1 shows a map of the main farming types found in each area of Scotland. Large areas of Scotland have hilly or rocky land suitable for livestock but limited growing conditions. These areas are shown in light green on the map. The areas in black have better soil and can support crops usually grown for animal feed. Dark green areas can support vegetables, fruit and cereal farming for human consumption.

Figure 1: Map of Scotland showing main farming types in each area

The total Scottish agricultural area in 2024 was 5.16 million hectares, 66% of Scotland’s total land area. Large areas of agricultural land, however, are only lightly farmed. Hilly or mountainous areas, for example, are mostly used for rough grazing. The total Scottish agricultural area excludes common grazing land.