(Image: Supplied)
Three Scottish farms have been selected to lead a new programme testing climate-resilient and nature-friendly farming methods across Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.
Glen Finglas, Shemore and Portnellan will take part in the Resilient Farm Network, an initiative running from 2026 to 2030 that aims to improve farm profitability, biodiversity and soil health.
Portnellan Farm Freda Scott Park and family. (Image: Supplied)
The three farms will work with advisers to trial land management approaches tailored to their individual operations, with the findings shared across the network to help other farmers and land managers adapt to changing conditions.
Glen Finglas and Shemore will focus on grazing-led habitat restoration, while Portnellan will demonstrate regenerative farming practices informed by its long-term animal data.
Shemore Farm. (Image: Supplied)
Each farm will receive carbon and biodiversity audits, financial analysis at no cost and annual performance reviews to assess progress.
The programme comes amid growing concerns about the effects of climate change on agriculture, following a summer of wildfires and drought across parts of the UK.
Glen Finglas, Hamish Thomson. (Image: Kate Heightman)
The initiative also supports priorities identified by the Scottish Government’s Academic Advisory Panel on climate adaptation in agriculture, which emphasises whole-farm approaches and knowledge sharing led by farmers.
Agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie has backed the programme, saying the expertise and evidence gathered could benefit the wider agricultural sector.
Shemore Farm Cattle. (Image: Supplied)
The network forms part of the national park authority’s wider landscape-scale work, including its Landscape Connections initiative, funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The work will support conservation grazing to restore woodlands, improve farmland biodiversity and develop networks of native woodland. Farmers and land managers will also have access to training, peer support and funding opportunities, including the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund.
Read more
Dominic Hall, future nature portfolio manager at Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority, said: "The selected farms reflect the range of farming approaches adopted across the National Park and give us a strong starting point to explore sustainable, nature-friendly ways to make businesses more resilient for the future.
"This work has become even more important after a summer of wildfires and drought across parts of the UK, with farmers and rural businesses calling for clearer, evidence-led ways to cope with increasingly unpredictable conditions.
"By trialling different land management techniques together, we can build a clearer understanding of the practical changes needed to help farms deal with climate pressures while strengthening their ability to run profitable, productive operations."
Shemore Farm Aerial view. (Image: Supplied)
Freda Scott-Park, land manager and co-owner of Portnellan Farm, said: "Being part of the Resilient Farm Network gives us a chance to build on our closed herd and long-term animal data, using that history to understand how the farm can adapt and stay resilient in the years ahead.
"A key focus for us is exploring how our soil structure and grass pastures can be improved to provide grazing resilience and enhanced biodiversity for the future."
Portnellan Farm Aerial view. (Image: Supplied)
Jim Fairlie, agriculture minister, said: "The Resilient Farm Network is an exciting opportunity for crofters and farmers within the National Park to take advantage of expertise that will help them to manage land sustainably over the longer term, while restoring nature and increasing their resilience to climate change.
"The evidence and lessons we can learn from the existing RFN farms, and now joined by Glen Finglas, Shemore and Portnellan can benefit the wider agriculture sector, which is a vital part of rural Scotland and our economy."