crofting
Highland tenant farming
Crofting is the Scottish system of small-scale farming on rented land, particularly in the Highlands and Islands.
A croft is a small agricultural holding, and the crofter works it—typically raising sheep, growing vegetables, or cutting peat.
The system has legal protections dating to the late 19th century, when reforms ended the worst landlord abuses.
His family had been crofting the same land for generations.
Custom passed through generations
- HighlandsNamed elevated regions
- IslandsNamed water-bound lands
- GaelicCeltic linguistic tradition
- clansRelated family groups
ancestry · customs · folklore · preservation · history · culture · lineage · legacy
Small cultivated land parcel
- cultivationFostering growth through care
- husbandryFarm management practice
- tillageSoil preparation for planting
- plowingTurning earth for crops
sowing · harvesting · crop rotation · pasture · livestock · poultry · oats · barley
Owned piece of terrain
- tenancyRenter's period of residence
- smallholdingSmall cultivated land parcel
- allotmentDesignated share or portion
- plotStoryline or land parcel
leasehold · occupancy · stewardship · apportionment · assignation · succession · absenteeism · rent
Open uncultivated upland
- peatlandWetland with accumulated plant matter
- coastalOf the shoreline
- ruggedTough and uneven
- windsweptExposed to strong winds
fells · dales · pastures · meadows · hills · lochs · isolated · remote
Independence from outside aid
- subsistenceMinimal means of living
- organicFrom living matter
- low-impactMinimally stressful on body
- biodiversityRange of life forms
conservation · permaculture · composting · resilience · eco-friendly
tradition
Custom passed through generations
clans · ancestry · customs · folklore · preservation · history · culture · lineage · legacy · roots
smallholding
Small cultivated land parcel
- cultivationFostering growth through care
- husbandryFarm management practice
- tillageSoil preparation for planting
plowing · sowing · harvesting · crop rotation · pasture · livestock · poultry · oats · barley · potatoes
landholding
Owned piece of terrain
- tenancyRenter's period of residence
- smallholdingSmall cultivated land parcel
- allotmentDesignated share or portion
plot · leasehold · occupancy · stewardship · apportionment · assignation · succession · absenteeism · rent
moorland
Open uncultivated upland
windswept · fells · dales · pastures · meadows · hills · lochs · isolated · remote · treeless
self-sufficiency
Independence from outside aid
- subsistenceMinimal means of living
- organicFrom living matter
- low-impactMinimally stressful on body
biodiversity · conservation · permaculture · composting · resilience · eco-friendly
- ScotlandGlasgow, Edinburgh, Highlands, whisky, bagpipes
- Scottish culturebagpipes, kilts, tartan, haggis, Highland Games
- British farmingsheep farming, dairy farming, cattle farming, mixed farming, pig farming
- mountain farmingterrace farming, terracing, terraces, rice terraces, alpine meadows
- Scottish HighlandsBen Nevis, Loch Ness, Loch Lomond, Inverness, Glencoe
- SkyeIsle of Skye, puffins, sea eagles, lochs, cliffs
croftingranching
Operating a livestock farm
industrial farming · agribusiness · plantation agriculture · factory farming · corporate farming
croftingestate ownership
Holding title to property
landlordism · landed gentry · Highland Clearances · enclosure · tenant eviction
croftingurban living
Residing in a city
city life · industrialism · urbanism · suburban life · landlessness