Scotland's rural communities should have their public services protected and more control over land development, according to Kezia Dugdale. The Scottish Labour leader has announced plans to devolve more powers to rural communities over local development, including the surplus from the recently devolved Crown Estates. Speaking in Dumfries-shire at the start of two days of campaigning from the Borders to Stornoway in Lewis, Dugdale also promised to reverse cuts to local services. She argued that under the SNP "too much power has been centralised in Edinburgh". Dugdale said: "There is so much potential and promise in Scotland's rural communities and, with the powers coming to the Scottish Parliament, there is so much more we can do.  "It's time for us to grasp this opportunity and establish a new settlement for Scotland's rural and island communities. "That's why today I can make two pledges to Scotland's rural communities. "First, with the powers of the Scottish Parliament we will move power as close to people as possible.  "We will devolve more powers to local communities from Holyrood in order to give them even more control over local development.  "This will include the surplus from the Crown Estate that will soon come under Holyrood's control. "Second, our anti-austerity pledge means that we can commit to protect the local services that people rely on.  "Local authorities in rural areas have taken a big hit in recent years and that has meant important services have been lost, schools have struggled to recruit new teachers and our hospitals have seen services cut back. Labour will put this right." She also announced the party would seek a new Food and Farming Bill to enshrine the Scottish Agricultural Wages Board into law to protect farm workers and establish a Scottish Food Commission to "strengthen rural communities" and reduce food poverty. The SNP called Labour's pledge "embarrassing", saying the Scottish Agricultural Wages Board has been statutory for nearly 70 years. Business convener Derek Mackay said: "Yet again, Labour's central pledge for people in rural areas - as in the rest of Scotland - is to shift the burden of Tory austerity on to the backs of low and middle earners. "Embarrassingly, Labour have also pledged to make the Scottish Agricultural Wages Board statutory despite it being statutory since 1949. Labour are a party out of touch and out of ideas." Mackay added: "In contrast, the SNP's fair and balanced tax plans will allow us to invest an additional £750m to close the education attainment gap and increase NHS funding by £500m above inflation over the next five years. "As well as protecting public services, our bold and ambitious prospectus for rural Scotland will empower communities and grow our economy, including ensuring that all premises have access to superfast broadband by 2021." Scottish Liberal Democrats leader Willie Rennie said rural communities had "been left in a deep hole" by the SNP due to the "shambles" of Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) payments. Many Scottish farmers have been left out of pocket after the failure of an IT system designed to allocate EU funding to the industry. Rennie said: "Weeks after the First Minister announced an emergency funding package, farms across the country are yet to receive a penny of crucial support. "Agricultural and rural communities can't afford to wait for the SNP any longer. Farmers and rural businesses deserve better than they are getting from the SNP.  "Hundreds of millions of pounds has been taken out of our rural economy as a result of the EU funding delays. "That is why Liberal Democrats will accelerate the roll-out of superfast internet, helping businesses reach new customers and ensuring that no home is left behind." He added the party "would also compensate farmers who have faced big bank charges" as a result of CAP-related difficulties. The Greens said rural Scotland needed "urgent investment" in sustainable jobs and infrastructure. Infrastructure spokeswoman Sarah Beattie-Smith said: "What rural Scotland really needs is urgent investment in jobs and infrastructure, as well as support for a farming industry in crisis. "If we're to realise the potential of our rural communities, we must invest in affordable, accessible and reliable public transport and broadband as a priority and ensure that our farmers are supported with full farm payments immediately." She added: "We need a much bolder parliament that's willing to stand up for farmers against the stranglehold of supermarkets and that's committed to helping rural communities to thrive, with a new enterprise agency for rural Scotland." The Scottish Conservatives have been approached for comment.