Scottish Rural Development Programme 2014-2020: Evaluation of Capital Grant Schemes: Annex C - Fieldwork materials

Evaluation of three SRDP Capital Grant Schemes – Grant Recipient Survey

What is the purpose of this survey?

We are following up on an email you should have received from the Scottish Government regarding an evaluation of three capital grant schemes which have been supported by the Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP) 2014-2020. EKOS is undertaking the evaluation to establish what was provided, how the funding was used, the impact it had, and lessons learned on behalf of Scottish Government.

Who is the survey for?

As a farmer or crofter who has received a grant or grants from the New Entrants Capital Grant Scheme, Small Farms Grant Scheme, and/or Crofting Agricultural Grant Scheme we would like to hear about your experience of applying for and managing a grant, about the project you undertook, what difference, if any, this had on your business, what worked well or could be improved, and current support needs.

How long will the survey take?

The online survey can be accessed by clicking on the following link and will take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete. Please try to complete as many questions as possible. The survey can be accessed via this link: SRDP Capital Grants Survey (please note that the survey is no longer accessible online).

How long is the survey open for?

The closing date for responses is Wednesday 12 June, and we do hope you are able to take part. The findings will help inform future grant schemes.

For further information

If you would like any more information on the survey or evaluation, please contact [name] at [email]. Your personal information will be anonymised in reporting. This means any information that can directly identify you will not be included in any published reports nor in the final survey results data. You can find the privacy policy here.

To proceed with survey, please indicate consent to taking part: I consent to taking part. I do not consent to taking part.

About the grant you received

Q1 a) Which of the following schemes did you receive a grant or grants from between 2014and 2024? Please select all that apply.

Routing to 1b) only for those who selected multiple grant schemes at Q1a.

b) Which grant scheme would you like to answer the remainder of the survey questions on? Select one.

• New Entrants Capital Grant Scheme
• Small Farms Grant Scheme
• Crofting Agricultural Grant Scheme

Q2. To be routed from Q1 - New Entrants 2014-2021, Small Farms 2014-2024, CAGS 2014-2024.

Q2 You may have received a single award or multiple awards from this grant scheme since 2014. In answering the rest of the survey questions please consider all of the grant support you received from this scheme.

A) In which year or years did you receive a grant from this scheme? Please select all that apply.

B is routed from response to A.

B) What was the total value of the grant award(s) you received (in £)? Please provide information where known - an estimate will do.

Q3 Which of these grant scheme objectives did your project(s) seek to address? Please select all that apply.

• To reduce production costs
• To improve and redeploy production
• To improve quality
• To promote the diversification of farm activities
• To preserve and improve the natural environment, hygiene conditions and animal welfare standards

Q4. What was the primary purpose of your grant support? Please select all that apply.

• Erection or improvement of agricultural buildings.
• Works associated with agricultural building, including yards, hard standings, dungsteads, and silos.
• Grassland improvement works and the control of bracken.
• Slurry stores.
• Arterial drainage and field drainage.
• Under drainage, hill drainage and ditching.
• Provision or improvement of facilities for the organised feeding of out-wintered livestock.
• Provision or improvement of equipment for the handling and treatment of livestock.
• Fences, hedges, walls, gates, stock grids or shelter belts.
• Provision or improvement of amenities, including water supplies, mains electricity connections, electricity generators or gas supplies.
• Provision of electrical equipment.
• Provision or improvement of Access tracks, roads, bridges, culverts or boat slips.
• Establishment of a common grazing’s committee (Only an option for those who selected the CAGS)

Q5 a) Please provide more detail on what you purchased with your grant award(s)? b) Why did this solution meet your needs at that time (also consider the benefits you thought you would get)? (also consider the benefits you thought you would get)?

Q6 Did you experience any issues or challenges in project delivery (for example, delays in finding contractors to do the work, etc.)?

About you

Q7 Were you new to farming or crofting at the time of your first application for this capital grant funding? Please select all that apply.

• Yes, I had no family background in farming or crofting, agricultural qualifications or previous work in the industry
• No, I previously worked in the industry and then took on a farm or croft
• No, I had taken on the holding from my family
• No, I had undertaken a farming qualification
• Other (please specify)

Q8 What made you decide to enter the farming/crofting industry? Please select all that apply.

• Family tradition
• I enjoy working outside
• I like working for myself
• Job security
• I can grow what I like
• An interest in agriculture, farming and/or crofting
• An interest in farming and/or crofting for environmental benefits
• To contribute to the nation’s food security
• To increase regenerative farming practices
• To address local food issues
• To promote healthy lifestyles with fresh food
• To support my family
• To leave a legacy
• Other (please specify)

Q9 Is farming or crofting currently your main occupation?

• Yes
• No, I have other full-time paid employment
• No, I have other part-time paid employment
• Other (please specify)

Q10 Please tell us whether your croft/farm is in a less favoured area or a non-less favoured area?

• Less Favoured Area
• Non-Less Favoured Area
• Both

Q11 Please tell us which local authority your farm or croft is in? If in more than one local authority, please select all that apply.

• Aberdeenshire
• Angus
• Argyll and Bute
• Clackmannanshire
• Dumfries and Galloway
• East Ayrshire
• East Dunbartonshire
• East Lothian
• East Renfrewshire
• Falkirk
• Fife
• Highland
• Inverclyde
• Midlothian
• Moray
• Na h-Eileanan Siar
• North Ayrshire
• North Lanarkshire
• Orkney Islands
• Perth and Kinross
• Renfrewshire
• Scottish Borders
• Shetland Islands
• South Ayrshire
• South Lanarkshire
• Stirling
• West Dunbartonshire

Views on the application process and support received

Q12 How did you first find out about the grant scheme?

• Had an existing relationship with the local Rural Payments and Inspections Division (RPID) office
• Direct contact from the local RPID office
• From family and/or friends
• From a national body such as Scottish Crofting Federation or NFU Scotland (please specify which body)
• From a regional body such as Ringlink (please specify which body)
• Word of mouth from other crofters or farmers
• Social media
• Postal flyer
• Newspaper advert
• Other (please specify)

Q13 To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements about the grant scheme?

a. What worked well with the application process? (if applicable).

b. What worked less well, and/or could have been improved or done differently? (if applicable).

Q14 Did you pay an agent or organisation to help you complete the application(s)? Select all that apply

• No, I did it myself
• No, a family member or friend helped me
• No, I asked other farmers or crofters for some advice
• No, but I received help from my local Rural Payments and Inspections Division (RPID) office
• No, but I received help from a body like the Scottish Crofting Federation or NFU Scotland (please specify which body)
• Yes, the Scottish Agricultural College (SAC consulting)
• Yes, another agent or organisation (please specify)
• Yes, I paid an agent or organisation to help with the application and I also completed parts of it myself (please specify)
• Other (please specify)

Q15 How would you rate the following aspects of the claims and grant payment process?

a. What worked well with the process? (if applicable)

b. Is there anything that could have been improved or done differently?

Benefits (All)

Q16 Which of the following benefits have you got as a direct result of your grant support? Please select all that apply.

• Improved stock control
• Protected crops from damage
• Supported and improved wintering of livestock
• Enabled storing of winter fodder
• Improved grassland management
• Reduced production costs
• Improved and redeployed production
• Improved quality of production
• Preserved and improved the natural environment
• Improved hygiene conditions and animal welfare standards
• Enabled the introduction of new methods of production (e.g. organic or horticulture)
• Introduced new crops
• Introduced livestock
• Introduced specialist breeds
• Diversified farm activities (please describe)
• Increased protection and enhancement of the natural environment and biodiversity
• More adaptive and sustainable
• Enabled regenerative agriculture
• Accessed new opportunities
• Business growth
• Supply chain improvement
• Other (Please specify)
• No benefits (why do you say this)

Q17 Were there any benefits or outcomes you anticipated at the outset that were not achieved? Why do you say this?

Outcomes

When answering the questions below, please think about all of the grant support you got from this scheme since 2014. This includes, either single awards or multiple awards. Some of these outcomes may have already happened whilst some may be expected to happen. Please provide information where known – an estimate will do.

Q18 Please estimate the number of employees in your business for the three time periods of your grant support. Please include yourself and any family members working in the business whether salaried or otherwise remunerated including unpaid.

Please state the average hours worked per year (across the total of your casual/seasonal workforce)

Please state the average number of weeks worked per year (across the total of your casual/seasonal workforce)

Q19 Please estimate the value of your sales, the value of your current stock/products for your farm/croft and your running costs for the three time periods.

Please feel free to add any further details (if applicable)

Q20 What business outcomes have you achieved as a direct result of the grant support? Tick all that apply.

• 1. Increased value per hectare
• 2. Increased value per head
• 3. Increased value per 100 hds (poultry)
• 4. Increased value per hive
• 5. Increased crop output
• 6. Reduced labour input
• 7. Reduction in production costs
• 8. Reduced waste
• 9. Reduced livestock mortality
• 10. Reduction in vet fees
• 11. Extended grazing periods
• 12. Extended production season number of days
• 13. Provided the local community with locally produced food
• 14. Developed a new market such as organic, specialist breeds
• 15. Other (please specify)
• 16. No impacts (Route Q24)

Question 21 is routed from responses to Question 20. For each of the numbered options 1-10 selected at Q20 the respondent will receive an additional dropdown selection to chose by how much either the increase was (selections 1-5) and/or by how much the reduction was (selections 6-10)

Q21 Selections 1-5 Please provide an estimate of the increase? Selections 6-10 please provide an estimate of the reduction?

Additional Info: Ready Reckoner Standard Output values can be found here (For selections 1-5 in Q20) and scheme objectives on measuring reductions can be found here (selections 6-10 in Q20)

% above standard output selection or % reduction

• 0-5%
• 6-10%
• 11-15%
• 16-20%
• 21-30%
• 31-40%
• 41-50%
• More than 50%

Q22 What amount of your outcomes would have happened if you did not get the capital grant scheme funding?

• None of the outcomes
• Less than half of the outcomes
• Half of the outcomes
• More than half of the outcomes
• All of the outcomes

Q23 Generally, did the grant funding allow your outcomes to happen earlier, on a greater scale, and/or of a higher quality? For example, the grant helped you to: undertake the project (for example, purchase a shed) 6 months earlier than would have been the case without the grant; buy additional fences (20% greater scale); purchase a more expensive shed (25% higher quality). Please select all that apply.

Future grant support

Q24 Do you have a current and/or future need for support? Please select all that apply.

• Yes, monetary support (for example, grant, loans) - Route Q25
• Yes, non-monetary support - Route Q26
• No - Route Q27
• Don’t know / unsure - Route Q27

Q25 What does your farm/croft need monetary support for, and why?

Q26 What other forms of non-monetary support would your business find helpful?

Q27 Would an online application process for future grant schemes make it difficult or prevent you from applying?

• Yes, definitely
• Not sure
• No

Why do you say this?

About you and your farm or croft

Q28 Which of the following statements best describes your situation at the time of applying for your most recent grant funding?

• An owner occupier of a registered croft
• A tenant of a registered croft
• A legal sub-tenant of a registered croft or part of it (i.e. a sub-tenant under a sub-lease entered into in accordance with section 27 of the Crofters (Scotland) Act 2007)
• Holder of a short-term lease entered into in accordance with section 29A of the Crofters (Scotland) Act 2007
• An owner/occupier farmer with a holding of between 3 and 30 hectares
• A tenant farmer with a holding of between 3 and 30 hectares
• A formally constituted group of farmers who, individually, have holdings between 3-30ha
• A common grazings committee or a grazings constable appointed under section 47 of the Crofters (Scotland) Act 2007
• Other (please describe)

Q29 What size is your croft or individual farm holding (excluding any common grazing share)?

• Under 0.5ha
• 0.5ha–2.9ha
• 3ha-30ha
• 31ha-50ha
• Over 50ha

Q30 Were you a ‘new entrant’ at the time of submitting your first grant application? (that is, a farmer or crofter who was head of an agricultural business for up to five years before the application for support).

This question helps us to understand whether you were classed as a ‘new entrant’ at the time of the application.

• Yes - Continue
• No - Route Q32

Q31 How long were you head of the holding at the time of the application?

• Less than one year
• 1-2 years
• 3-5 years

Q32 Please tell us what type of land use takes place on your farm or croft? Please select all that apply.

• Lamb/sheep
• Beef
• Dairy
• Poultry
• Pigs
• Potatoes
• Fruit and vegetables
• Cereals
• Horticulture
• Forestry
• Woodland management
• Renewable energy
• Other livestock (please specify)
• Other land use (please specify)

Q33 (What is your or the applicant’s sex? (if a group application, please specify the sex of the main applicant)

• Female
• Male
• Prefer not to say

Q34 On your farm/croft is there a female with a controlling interest/rights in the decision-making of the business?

• Yes
• No
• Prefer not to say

Q35 Were you under 41 years of age on the date you submitted your application? This question helps us to understand whether you were classed as a ‘young farmer’ at the time of the application.

• Yes
• No (please tell us what age you were at the time the application was submitted)

Q36 What is your ethnic group? Choose one section from A to F, then tick one box, which best describes your ethnic group or background.

• A. White
  • Scottish
  • Other British
  • Irish
  • Polish
  • Gypsy / Traveller
  • Roma
  • Showman / Showwoman
  • Other white ethnic group, please write in:
• B: Mixed or multiple ethnic groups
  • Any mixed or multiple ethnic groups, please write in:
• C: Asian, Scottish Asian or British Asian
  • Pakistani, Scottish Pakistani or British Pakistani
  • Indian, Scottish Indian or British Indian
  • Bangladeshi, Scottish Bangladeshi or British Bangladeshi
  • Chinese, Scottish Chinese or British Chinese
  • Other, please write in:
• D: African, Scottish African or British African
  • Please write in (for example, Nigerian, Somali):
• E: Caribbean or Black
  • Please write in (for example, Scottish Caribbean, Black Scottish):
• F: Other ethnic group
  • Arab, Scottish Arab or British Arab
  • Other, please write in (for example, Sikh, Jewish):

Q37 Do you have any physical or mental health conditions or illnesses lasting or expected to last 12 months or more?

• Yes
• No
• Don’t know
• Prefer not to say

Q38 Does your condition or illness reduce your ability to carry-out day-to-day activities?

• Yes, a lot
• Yes, a little
• Not at all
• Prefer not to say

Final comments

Q39 Do you have any final comments you would like to make about the grant scheme or schemes?

Q40 If you would like to receive a link to the final evaluation report when it is published by the Scottish Government, please provide your email address.

Thank you for completing the survey.