Special Report (Rural Ireland): Willing, ready, and able to fight back

Developing and maintaining a vibrant rural economy is of major national importance, writes Ann Phelan

Fri, 14 Aug, 2015 - 01:00

Ann Phelan - Minister of State

AS MINISTER with responsibility for rural economic development and social enterprise, I am committed to ensuring that rural Ireland can benefit from the economic recovery we are beginning to see .

, writAs somebody who comes from a rural area , I know only too well the contribution rural communities have made to the overall national economic development, as well as to the development of their own areas.

We hear quite a bit about the “demise” of rural Ireland and the fact it is not experiencing the same level of recovery as our urban counterparts. Yet, in every community I have visited to date, I have experienced a real sense that they are willing, ready, and able to fight back. The evidence is clear — rural areas make a significant contribution to the production of the raw materials and activities which drive significant parts of national economic life such as through agriculture, food, tourism, construction materials and energy. Developing and maintaining a vibrant rural economy is, therefore, of major national importance.

Special Report: Rural Ireland should not be pigeonholed http://t.co/bK80jCYl6F pic.twitter.com/sKEaAzXeJ6
— Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) August 13, 2015

More than 2.2m people live in rural communities in Ireland. I think it fair to say that, historically, policies in relation to rural development have been sectorally based. The emphasis was more on developing a particular sector of the economy, rather than on the development of a particular area. And, of course, agriculture was seen as the sector which has had most impact on rural areas.

I am glad this Government is committed to implementing a strategy for rural development on the basis of an inclusive approach to sustainable development, the integration of policies, a regional dimension and partnership with rural communities.

My own vision for rural Ireland is of vibrant, inhabited areas with communities playing an active role in driving their own economies, creating sustainable jobs. My vision also includes rural areas maximising their economic potential and contributing in a positive way to the national and global programme of development which is both beneficial today and sustainable in the longer-term. I would advocate for a more progressive tax structure for businesses in rural towns to help foster and develop enterprise and jobs in rural towns and villages. I have been working closely with Retail Excellence Ireland and I will continue to lobby my government colleagues in this regard.

In this context, I acknowledge that rural areas need to be managed in a way that protects their environmental quality and recognises the contribution of the environment to a high quality of life. Agricultural production will of course continue to be a significant element of the rural economy, even if the nature of the agricultural output changes, and rural areas will need to develop their capacity to address future safe energy needs and food security needs, as well as conserving the natural environment which contributes to their productivity directly.

In my vision the people of rural areas will rely on their local areas for an increasing amount of their requirements, with these areas providing a level of enterprise that discourages the need for their people to commute to major urban centres for employment purposes and that rural enterprise nodes are provided to facilitate this. That is why I have allocated €2m for a Rural Economic Development Zone (REDZ) pilot scheme which aims to fund up to 18 projects on a regional basis and at different levels of scale. The scheme is open to all local authorities in co-operation with their relevant REDZ communities. The idea is that all relevant state resources are then pooled into these areas to encourage job creation and enterprise growth and development. It is one of the fundamental recommendations of the CEDRA report, for which I have responsibility for.

Special Report (Rural Ireland): Lively Exchange of ideas about the future in O’Gonnelloe http://t.co/bh69U0w3UB pic.twitter.com/NURSZTS8kV
— Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) August 13, 2015

Social and community-based enterprise is another important approach which can help to harness a mix of commercial and voluntary resources through which services can continue to be provided to rural areas. The very point of social enterprise, can sometimes be lost in translation and I think there is a lack of understanding even amongst Government circles about just how important this sector is.

There is also a perception that volunteerism equates to amateurism. This could not be further from the truth. I have experienced and witnessed some of the finest expertise amongst the voluntary sector that could not be matched in a multi-national corporation. We need to wake up and really begin to harness the talent and skillsets that are there amongst our rural communities which can be utilised to develop sustainable jobs and enterprises.

Most recently I launched the rebranding of Community Finance Ireland making over €100m available in social finance. The concept behind the group is to open up financing to organisations that may not ordinarily have access to the traditional means of credit such as via a bank or credit union. I recently launched the new €250m LEADER Programme. LEADER provides a mechanism through which such enterprises can be supported and I urge all communities who can see an opportunity for such a development to work with their local LEADER companies/LCDC’s and their local authorities to make it happen.

Ann Phelan is Minister of State for Rural Economic Development

DAY 1:

Special Report (Rural Ireland): Community makes sure area stays safe despite the lack of a Garda presence

Special Report (Rural Ireland): ‘We would love to be employers, to employ locally and to invest locally’

Special Report (Rural Ireland): ‘Don’t pigeonhole rural communities as a burden’

Special Report (Rural Ireland): ‘We’ll get it up and running again’

DAY 2:

Special Report (Rural Ireland): Galway spirit shines through

DAY 3:

Special Report (Rural Ireland): Locals will not give up on Borris-in-Ossory

MICHAEL CLIFFORD: Special Report (Rural Ireland): Decline has been a political hot potato

Special Report: Rural Ireland must define its own vision