Agriculture is an important sector of the Scottish economy. The vast majority of land in Scotland is under agricultural production and the sector is responsible for much of Scotland's food exports.
In rural areas the industry creates many economic, environmental and social benefits, with a large number of people directly employed in agricultural activities.
The Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP) is a programme of economic, environmental and social measures, worth some £1.5 billion, designed to develop rural Scotland over the next few years, to 2013.