RSABI

RSABI is a longstanding Scottish charity dedicated to relieving hardship and enhancing wellbeing for individuals and dependents connected to agriculture and land-based occupations, ensuring no one in these communities faces challenges alone. Guided by values of empathy, confidentiality, professionalism, practical support, accessibility, and non-judgemental discretion, it champions resilience, dignity, and mutual aid through a holistic philosophy blending emotional listening, peer contacts, and tailored interventions. Its impact approach believes timely, person-centred practical and emotional aid sustains rural sector vitality, preventing crisis via preventative mental health promotion and farm safety initiatives.

It prioritizes mental health support including 24/7 confidential counselling and peer support groups for farmers, crofters, foresters, gamekeepers, horticulturists, and rural estate workers experiencing anxiety, depression, social isolation, or bereavement; physical wellbeing aid via disability aids, home adaptations post-farm accidents, and essential heating or household purchases for those with physical disabilities or complex health needs; financial hardship relief covering crisis support, ongoing living costs, and one-off payments for retired or incapacitated individuals struggling with poverty or insecurity; family support extending to dependents affected by illness, accidents, or economic shocks like adverse weather or market failure; employment training and skills development funding for generational transitions, new technology adoption, or business restructuring to foster long-term sustainability; and holistic interventions addressing loneliness among elderly rural residents, carer exhaustion in farming families, and trauma from rural life adversities, valuing therapeutic, preventative, community-led, and trauma-informed models.

RSABI exclusively serves current or past Scottish agriculture and land-based workers of all ages, families, and dependents, prioritizing isolated elderly farmers, crisis-hit working families, and those facing infirmity or disability in rural communities, distinguishing it as the principal sector-specific benevolent institution. It avoids unrestricted core costs or generalist rural projects, emphasizing user-led, dignified support over broad interventions, with niche focus on agriculture-linked mental ill-health, financial shocks, and rural transitions, partnering organizations attuned to farming expertise and sector stewardship.