Rural areas and economic prospect to farmers
There is a prevailing narrative around the decline of rural areas in Ireland. This is not unique to the Irish context with international studies also looking at concerns around rural vitality. This narrative is associated predominately with a decline in the agricultural sector, urbanisation and the decline of opportunities in rural areas. The latest NESC paper aims to quantitatively establish how rural areas have changed and qualitatively identify opportunities based on a group of experts.
In the context of this work on rural development and agriculture by NESC, it worthwhile mentioning that the Dutch Rli will publish a report on the possibilities to make farmers’ revenue models compatible with achieving sustainable agriculture. The report will focus on the question what needs to be done by the various links in the value chain in order to offer economic prospect to farmers. The report is expected at year end 2021.