Towards Sustainable Rural Livelihoods Feb 1 st, Mullingar Towards Sustainable Rural Livelihoods...

Towards Sustainable Rural LivelihoodsFeb 1st , Mullingar

Towards Sustainable Rural LivelihoodsNational Rural Development Conference

Cathal O’Donoghue, Rural Economy Research Centre

Mullingar,

February 1st 2007.


Outline of Conference

Diversification On-Farm

Putting Your Land to Work for You

Food Enterprises

Farm Enterprises Changing World Off-farm

Rural and Community

Development

Working and Living in

Rural Ireland Teagasc and Rural Development Community


Changing World – On-Farm


Farmers(Caroline Crowley , RERC; NUIM)

Growing importance of the non-farm economy to maintaining farm households

Between 1991-2000 (Census of Agriculture)

Active farms 17% (to 142,000) Sole occupation farmers 24% (79,000) Farmers with another job 37% ( 63,000)


Sole farmers versus farmers with other jobs(Caroline Crowley , RERC; NUIM)

Derived from: Census of Agriculture 1991 and 2000

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

1991 2000

('000

s o

f fa

rmer

s)

Sole

Major/Subsidiary


Income Growth: Farm vs Employee (Full-time)(Full-time) (Anne Kinsella, RERC)(Anne Kinsella, RERC)

60

10060

20060

30060

40060

50060

1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Dairying Cattle Rearing Sheep Tillage Employee

Source: RERC National Farm Survey, CSO


Farm Incomes (Poor) Farm Incomes (Poor) (Jason Loughrey, RERC)(Jason Loughrey, RERC)

Farming Households poorer than Employee Households

40%+ in bottom 40% of income distribution compared with

<20% of employees in bottom 40% of income distribution

(mainly those on benefits)

Proportion of Farmers and Employees in bottom 40% of household income

Red Poorest

0

20

40

60

80

100

1987 1994 2000 2003 1987 1994 2000 2003

Farmers Employees


Importance of Subsidies (Liam Connolly and Anne Kinsella, RERC)(Liam Connolly and Anne Kinsella, RERC)

Farm Incomes Very Dependant on Subsidies (94%)

What happens post 2013?

22

,50

0

15

,60

0 21

,10

0

13

,60

0

0

10000

20000

30000

2004 2005

€/F

arm

FFI DPs/Subs


Farming

Need for diversification and more value added products

Farm Enterprise

Food Enterprise

Recognise asset base Putting Your Land to Work for You

Value of Natural Asset Custodian of countryside


Changing World – Rural


DemographyDemography(David Meredith, RERC)(David Meredith, RERC)

Ratio of Young to Old

Darker more Young

Concentrated in Urban and Peri-Urban Areas


EducationEducation(David Meredith, RERC)(David Meredith, RERC)

Proportion of Graduates

Follows a Similar Pattern

Rural Brain Drain!


EmploymentEmployment(David Meredith, RERC)(David Meredith, RERC)

% of Persons 15+ at Work

Large Increase in Rural Employment

More than offset decline in Agriculture

However

Concentration in Construction and Retail

Sustainability questioned due to reliance on subsidies and the exceptional construction boom


9 811

17 1711

15 1320

8 10

1716 17

39 35 35

20

20

40

60

80

100

DME BMW REST

Other

Education &Health

Financial &Oth BusServicesConstruction

Oth Prod Ind

Agri, Forestry& Fishing

Source: CSOSource: CSO

Employment in Regions by Sector 2005(Mark O’Brien and Thia Hennessy, RERC)(Mark O’Brien and Thia Hennessy, RERC)


CommutingCommuting(David Meredith, RERC)(David Meredith, RERC)

Employment Growth accompanied by rising commuting pattern


Access to Access to ServicesServices

(Karyn Morrissey, RERC)(Karyn Morrissey, RERC) Provision of Public Services in

areas of low population density an issue

Implications of trends in public policy (e.g. increased centralisation)

Access to Hospital Services

Location of Hospital Services


Changing World - Policy


Changing EU Policy Changing EU Policy EnvironmentEnvironment

((ÁÁine Macken-Walsh, RERC)ine Macken-Walsh, RERC)

Trend in EU Policies↓ Production and Price Supports

• Single Farm Payment↑ Rural Development Policies

• LEADER (1991), Rural Dev. Regulation (1999) CAP Pillar II↑ Regional Development

• Structural Funds↑ Rural Environment, Animal Welfare & Food Quality

• MacSharry, Agenda 2000

1988Future of

Rural Society

1991 Rural Dev.LEADER

1992MacSharry

Reforms

1997Agenda 2000

CAP 2000

2003Luxembourg Agreement

2013

?


Rural Communities((ÁÁine Macken-Walsh, RERC)ine Macken-Walsh, RERC)

What are the Sociological determinants in the Policy Shift towards Governance and Rural Development e.g. LEADER:

What are the sociological factors at the local community level that influence the adoption/non-adoption of ‘alternative’ rural enterprises? Very different social groups in rural Ireland - differently positioned to engage with new rural development opportunities depending on: personal data (e.g. education, lifestyle, experience) and environmental data (e.g. location, orientation of assets, local agencies)


Rural Ireland

Balanced regional development!! Provide employment with comparable incomes

(equivalent to 120%+ of EU average) Public Policy to Support life-style choices (for

example decision to commute) e.g.Child CareTransportLong-Term Care for ElderlyHealth and Education ProvisionInfrastructure


Teagasc and Rur. Dev. Community

Significant Challenges to Rural IrelandTeagasc Rural Viability ObjectiveOur Programme needs to Reflect RealitiesTeagasc Foresight exerciseNeed to work together


Thank you! Thank you!

See our website: See our website: www.tnet.teagasc.ie/rerc

for documents relating to presentationfor documents relating to presentation

http://www.tnet.teagasc.ie/rerc

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