ABSTRACT
Crofting agriculture must therefore be seen within the context of the overall rural economy. The key to the retention of the population in crofting and to the survival of small holdings is, of course, the willingness of crofters gaining the majority of their income from off-farm employment. In relation to labour, it is well known that crofting anchors people to the land to a greater extent than farming, but crofting communities have not been immune to the drift from the land. The reliance of crofting agriculture on agricultural support, notably on headage payments, is evident and this vulnerability is a theme to which this chapter will return. The 1992 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reforms also introduced various agro-environmental measures, which clearly are of some potential significance to the crofting areas. The details of the 1992 CAP reform package have been elaborated elsewhere.
