More than £7 million has been awarded to over 500 farming and rural businesses as part of Scotland's Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS).
Overall, £27m will be paid over the lifetime of the contracts to applicants, the Scottish government said on Wednesday (14 February).
AECS remains a key part of support to farmers and crofters in delivering nature restoration and addressing the twin challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss.
The funding is an important investment in sustainable farming in Scotland, with about 20% of land being managed for nature and climate benefits under the scheme.
Farmers can now apply for the 2024-2025 funding round, with an expanded range of options to support biodiversity, climate friendly farming activities and land management practices.
The Scottish government said more than £4 million will also be made available to fund slurry storage and irrigation lagoons in order to improve water quality in rural areas.
And farmers and land managers can apply for larger funding grants, with an additional uplift available to those based in Scotland's island communities.
This will be the final year that support will be available for slurry storage, the government confirmed.
Scotland's Rural Affairs Secretary, Mairi Gougeon said that this year, all eligible applications to AECS were approved - 'a record approval rate'.
“This shows that despite significant financial pressures, farmers and land managers still recognise the very real need to mitigate against both nature loss and climate change.
“I would strongly encourage farmers and crofters to apply for the expanded range of options that the scheme now supports.
"This approach will give farmers and land managers greater flexibility when it comes to helping improve our landscape to mitigate against nature loss.”
