ABSTRACT
R.V. Bimie1 and A.S. Mather2* ’Macaulay Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen AB15 8QH, Scotland, UK
2 Department of Geography and Environment, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UF, Scotland, UK
Located on the Atlantic fringes of Europe, Scotland is a small but diverse country, with steep topographic and climatic gradients. The cool maritime climate and rugged terrain are more suited to extensive livestock production than to arable farming. Less than 30% of the land area is classified as capable of producing crops (Table 10.1). Three-quarters of the land area is used for some form of agriculture, but agriculture is varied in type and intensity. Around half of the total area and two-thirds of the agricultural area are in the form of ’rough grazings', or rangeland on seminatural vegetation consisting of dwarf shrub heath and wet moorland. Conversely, less than one-quarter of the total area is under crops and grass (Table 10.2). With this environmental basis, it is not surprising that Scottish agricultural production is dominated by livestock (Table 10.3), and much of the crop production is for livestock feed.
