Rural development groups losing out

THE rural development sector is getting the crumbs from the agri-food research table and scientists are producing very few research deliverables that can be used by local rural development agencies, according to a leading rural development professional.

Dóirín Graham, manager of Rural Resource Development (RRD), the Clare-based LEADER company, said the national research programme is driven by funding and by the academic and professional advancement needs of scientists, resulting in a shift away from needs-based research.

Ms Graham, who was speaking in UCD at a national conference on ‘A New Roadmap for Education, Research and Innovation’, organised by the Department of Agriculture, Teagasc and UCD, criticised the efforts being made by the research institutes to disseminate the results of research to rural groups.