Rural entrepreneurs to share secrets

INNOVATIVE rural entrepreneurs will be among the key speakers at the upcoming Teagasc Rural Development Conference.

The aim of the conference is to highlight practical examples of rural enterprise and development, alongside broader discussions of rural development and policy within Ireland and in the EU.

Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Minister, Eamon Ó Cuiv, will open the conference — which takes place on February 1 in the Mullingar Park Hotel, Mullingar, County Westmeath.

The conference, jointly organised by Teagasc Rural Economy Research Centre and Rural Development Centre, will address the two crucial aspects of sustainable rural livelihoods — rural innovation in practice and policy implications for countryside living.

Practical examples of alternative rural enterprise initiatives, and innovation and diversification on farms will be presented by rural entrepreneurs themselves and will feature prominently throughout the conference programme.

The broader issues relating to sustainable rural livelihoods will be addressed in the context of the larger rural policy and rural development debate.

Crucial issues arising from perspectives relating to research, policy-making and practice will be debated at the conference.

The core theme areas are land-based and food enterprises, rural tourism, work-life balance, rural public services, life-long learning and local and community action.