the coastal fringes of the western and northern Scottish mainland. The Crofters' Holdings (Scotland) Act 1886 provided for security of tenure, a key issue as most crofters remain tenants. The Act encouraged tenants to improve the land under their control, as it ensured that the control could be transferred within families and passed to future generations. Croft work was hard, back-breaking work which yielded a subsistence living. Crofters were given the right to purchase their individual crofts in 1976. In 2003, as part of the Land Reform Act, crofting community bodies were provided with the right to purchase eligible croft land associated with the local crofting community. See also Allotment Croft References External links The Scottish Crofting Federation Articles Crofters, Indigenous People of the Highlands and Islands at Scottish Crofting Foundation Land tenure Gaelic culture