Meeting challenges, balancing

needs : sustainable rural development

and the growth agenda

Janet Dwyer, CCRI

Food

Biodiversity

Habitats Economic

Viability

Climate Change

Resource-

management

Bioeenergy

Biomass

Supply Chain

Integration

Europe: Rural Challenges and

Opportunities (thanks to Martin Scheele, DG Agri,

European Commission)

Local Challenges

• Multiple demands, limited resources

• Rural issues – services, transport, quality of life

(opportunities for young people, support for elderly /

childcare), business training/start-up support

• Conflicting interests – migrant labour, industrial

agriculture, protecting environmental quality,

generating energy

• Who makes the decisions, who has the resources?

Funding and planning

Growth agenda – recession-driven (reducing

national debt); what does it mean for Hereford?

“Funding for jobs and income generation”

BUT

Use it wisely = long-term, sustainable, resilient (e.g.

plan for climate change)

Respect what makes Herefordshire special, but

don’t constrain local initiative

Growth and jobsDirect – project

funds jobs,

grows a

business

Indirect – project

funds services,

infrastructure,

research, to help

grow a business or

sector

Induced – project

funds the wider

environment, to

improve quality of

life, attractiveness,

resilience = a

stimulus to growth

and jobs

Climate for

growth

Factors for

growth

Growth

Climate change: future

scenarios…

4 degree

temperature

increase -

Longer season,

faster crop growth,

higher/drier yields

Grow more

arable (wheat,

rape)

Switch to more

southern / high-

value crops

Increase in pest

and disease

outbreaks

decreased

summer rain,

more winter

storms

Switch to more

resilient (drought

tolerant, robust over

winter) crops

Pressure for more

high-ground housing

development,

infrastructure,

industry?

more

flooding in

valleys

Grazing stock

relatively more

difficult/low

return?

Need for

renewable

energy

Grow and harvest

more trees – SRC,

woods

USPs / local assets

• Low(er) housing costs, historic features

• Diverse landscapes and farming systems – wide

range of produce

• High environmental quality for water, landscape,

woodland

• Border culture, meeting place

Local Issues• Low(er) wages, few industries, lower skills

• Dispersed settlement – high transport costs,

isolation

• Low visibility to e.g. tourism

Successful farms: different tactics

• Weak correlation between profitability and scale in many sectors (e.g. Dairy, grazing livestock, high-end fruit & veg)

• Under uncertainty, economies of scope give resilience, outputs cross-subsidise one another, better use of labour / fixed costs

• If selling direct / local, a more diverse offer may be more attractive (online, also).

• Need to recognise varied land capability, broader business options

• 450 in the UK. 75% are

held monthly

• Av. No. consumers

1000-3000

Local Food: Farmers’ markets

• Total turnover £166 million; average c.£300-500/stall.

E-S-E multipliers – seeing the

connections

Food production

Visitor

accommodationVillage shop

Local transport /

access

Opportunities for

young people,

women

Care and stimulation for

elderly / children /

disadvantaged groups

Events, culture and

traditions

Marketing and promotion

Standard links

New ideas

Skills and

training

Nature places

Growth and jobs can be all kinds, many places

New rural connections?

• Health and welfare – needs, potentials,

sources of match funding or support in kind:

– Care farming, rural retreats / spas, health

walks, care in the community, respite and rehab

• Education – for skills and training but also

research / info resources

– Student placements & projects, monitoring and

evaluation: lots of scope for help ‘in kind’:

measuring, analysing, reporting, facilitation

Let Nature Feed Your Senses

- rich experiences for

disadvantaged /excluded

groups

Pontbren; Marlborough Downs

– farmer-group-led

environmental action,

business & community spin-offs

New partners, new

directions…

Examples of ‘triple bottom line’ business success

• Direct sales, local sourcing – dairy, vegetables, flour / milling, woodfuels

• Community shops

• Soil management groups, ‘min-tillers’, grass-fed livestock groups

• Care farms UK – delivering health services

• The ‘Agriscôp’ / ‘hub’ experience –farmer-led learning for diversification / production

• Retailer / processor partnerships: e.g.Waitrose and LEAF; Bulmers?

Econ Env’t Social

√ √ Some

√ Some √

√ √ ?

√

(non-

food)

Often √

√ Not

yet

√

√ √ √

Building local capacity

• Whom do you need? – think core actors, key sources of expertise – external support, wider community networks / outlets

• Fostering connections – support and extend existing networks; events; advice; give opportunities to reflect (in the minibus!)

• Investing, professionalising– fund learning What do you have, what do you need? – then fund changes

• Mark progress, tell stories – clarify obligations, keep records, tell people what you achieve, get others to help you, have fun!

THANKS! - jdwyer@glos.ac.uk