RSABI is a unique Scottish charity dedicated to the relief of hardship and poverty amongst people who have depended for their livelihoods on the land.

About Us

RSABI's predecessor, The Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution, was founded in 1897 to mark Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, to help elderly, infirm, distressed and disabled Scottish farmers and their dependents. This was a time of deep agricultural depression, and many tenant farmers struggled on in their tenancies until death rather than retire at a reasonable age, because there were no pensions available and little if any support for those no longer able to work.

At its first AGM, the funds available allowed 16 pensioners to be elected, each receiving £20 per year. At that time only tenant farmers and their wives, widows, dependent sisters and dependent daughters qualified for assistance.

Today, RSABI is a modern charity, with a corporate structure and governed by a Board of Trustees. We now provide financial and practical support to over 600 individuals and their families across a range of occupations with the common theme of working on the land in Scotland, or providing services to those who do. We have a skilled and dedicated welfare team ready to help, in strictest confidence, anyone within our scope needing support.

Across rural Scotland there are many more people needing our support...with your help, we'll help!