Rural Land Use lo1 Podcast JK s30096494 v1

Renfrewshire in Scotland is an ideal location for arable agriculture and livestock farming due to its flat terrain and exposure to the Gulf Stream. The region produces a diverse range of products, including cereals, fodder, grass, and farm shop products. However, agriculture in the area is facing challenges due to the increasing demand for land for forestry and housing. As a result, smaller-scale organic farms are becoming more popular. These farms help combat the environmental impacts of agriculture, such as soil degradation and nutrient leakage. Farmers can apply for funding to support biodiversity and climate-friendly farming practices. Agriculture in Scotland employs 67,400 people and contributes £2.9 billion to the economy. Hello, my name is Jack. This is my rural land use podcast. Today we are going to be talking about agriculture in Scotland and more specifically looking at Renfrewshire as a case study site. We are going to talk about what is produced there and why it is produced there. Now, before we talk about the specific agricultural systems in Renfrew, we have got to talk about where it is located and what physical factors allow and limit what types of agriculture can be done here. Renfrewshire is located within Scotland's central belt, which is relatively flat compared to most of Scotland, meaning it is quite ideal for arable agriculture and also lots of different kinds of livestock. Renfrewshire is also situated on Scotland's west coast, which exposes it to the Gulf Stream from the North Atlantic. This causes the weather to be wetter but also warmer in the winter on the east coast. The underlying bedrock geology of this area is primarily sedimentary rocks like limestone and sandstone. Most of this region is also covered in superficial deposits of sand, silt and gravel, which makes the soils in this area really suited to lots of different forms of arable agriculture. Speaking of which, the arable systems produce quite a high diversity of different products such as cereals like barley to fodder and grass for livestock. Also, due to its proximity to huge urban areas like Glasgow, this region has become popular for growing many farm shop products and selling experiences such as pick-it-yourself raspberries and pumpkins. This kind of arable agriculture seems to be really growing in this area as more people are looking for more organic or local food to buy. As for the livestock systems in place in this region, there is lots of mixed dairy and beef farming, though there is a rough grazing by sheep in some of the less productive areas in this region. In regard to the future development of agriculture in the area, it looks as though it will be on the decline in most cases as things such as forestry and demand for houses near the major urban areas around Renfrewshire increase. Because of this demand for land in this region, larger, more traditional uses of agriculture are being phased out by the more popular, smaller scale organic and less intensive local farms. This development could be seen as quite good because of agriculture's environmental impacts. This includes the intensive cultivation of crops season after season, which doesn't allow the soil to recover. This causes the soil quality to decrease over time, as well as needing more artificial nutrients to be placed into the soil, which can also leak out into the wider environment and cause problems such as eutrophication of water systems. Heavy machinery also has an impact on the soil as it compacts it, which leads to more water logging and drainage issues which further impact the soil quality. In order to help to combat this issue, Farmers in Scotland can apply for the 2024-25 agri-environment climate scheme funding. The scheme offers a range of options to support biodiversity, promote climate-friendly farming activities and support land management practices. Examples of these practices to increase biodiversity could be planting wildflowers in field margins and also trying to maintain hedgerows as both of these allow for the creation of wildlife corridors that allow species to safely move around. Lastly, I have some stats regarding agriculture in Scotland. As of 2021, agriculture employs 67,400 people in Scotland and contributes £2.9 billion to Scotland's economy. Thank you for listening and goodbye.