1. Dr. Maura Farrell
NUI Galway
West Cork Development
Partnership
Rural Development Conference 30 th November

2.  Personal Introduction
 Rural Ireland – Spaces of Change
 Shaping Intervention – via – DERREG Research
 Key Research Outcomes – Relating to:
◦ Innovation
◦ Resilience
◦ Community Spirit in Challenging Times

3. Lecturer - Discipline of Geography, NUI Galway
Lecturing Research
 Undergraduate PhD Research
Agricultural Change and Agricultural Change and
Rural Sustainability
Rural Development
Most recent Research
 Masters in Rural DERREG
Sustainability

4.  Rural areas were always spaces of change
But..
 Contemporary Rural Change is different and
can be distinguished by two characteristics:
1. The pace and persistence of change
 Rural economy and society are changing constantly and
rapidly
 Driven by new technologies and social reform.
1. Totality and Interconnectivity of change
 Rural areas tightly interconnected by global social and
economic processes.

5.  For Development Partnership to ‘Tap Into’
Innovative Practices ; witness Rural Resilience and
Community Spirit they must:
Acknowledge Change
Embrace Variety
See Potential in Difference
Support Innovation

6. Providing Examples of Good Practice
DERREG Research Project

7. Developing Europe’s Rural Regions in
the Era of Globalisation:
An Interpretative Model for Better
Anticipating and Responding to
Challenges for Regional Development
in an Evolving International Context

8. Seventh Framework Programme - Theme 8 – Socio-Economic Sciences
and Humanities - Project – 36 Months Duration – 7 partners
- Aberystwyth University (Lead Partner) (Wales)
- Geography Department, NUI, Galway
- Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography (Germany)
- Mendel University (Czech Republic)
- Institute NeVork, Slovenia
- Nordregio Centre for Spatial Development (Sweden)
- Saarland University (Germany)
- Ljubljana University (Slovenia)
- Wageningen University, The Netherlands

9. Case Study Regions
- Sweden
- West Of Ireland
- Lithuania
- Spain
- Slovenia-Goriska
- Slovenia-Pomurska
- Czech Republic
- Netherlands
- Germany-Dresden
- Germany-Saarland

10. 1. Global Engagement and Local Embeddedness of Rural
Businesses
2. Environmental Capital and Sustainable Rural
Development
3. International Mobility and Migration of Rural Populations
4. Capacity Building, Governance and Knowledge
Systems
5. Synthesis and Contextualisation of Research and
Development of an Interpretative Model

11. Environmental Capital and
Sustainable Rural
Development

12. - Central Objective
To examine the repositioning of forestry within the
Border Midlands and West (BMW) Region of
Ireland under influence from the interaction of
global, regional and local environmental
discourses, including the relative positioning of
productivist forestry.

13.  Primary production - no longer mainstay of rural areas
(Woods, 2011).
 Diversification – may ensure farm viability for farm family -
but also huge advantage as a wider rural development
initiative
 Forestry as a diversification initiative - represents many
functions:
◦ Product value
◦ Amenity value
◦ Recreation
◦ Energy

14. EU Policy Irish Policy
 Ireland - Policy document
 EU Rural Development
‘Growing for the Future’ (1996)
and Forestry Policy: increase in forestry cover from
forestry has a role in realising 4.8% in 1993 to 17% by 2035.
rural development objectives, Currently 10%.
promoting employment ,
improving well-being and
the environment.
 Afforestation Scheme -
provides forestry grants and
 Competitiveness of agriculture premiums – incentives to plant
and forestry is at the core of
Axis 1 of the EU’s Rural
Development Policy.

15.  Five Dimensions
1. Collection of Statistical Data
2. Documentary Analysis
3. Media Analysis
4. Individual Interviews - Key stakeholders
5. Identification of best practice examples of forestry
initiatives

16.  Forestry increasingly viewed as an important element of
sustaining the rural , but considerable challenges, in
particular, ‘buy in’ from farmers.
 Nonetheless, - increase in farmer and non-farmer planting
and a decline in state planting – from 4.8% in 1993 to 10%.
 On-farm diversification relating to forestry was evident –
 But…..
 Little effect on wider rural development.

18. County Clare Wood
Energy Project
Afforestation as a Rural
Development Initiative

19. Example – County Clare Wood Energy Project.
Clare Local Development Company & Teagasc.
Created a commercially viable wood energy sector.
Thinning cluster; Supply chain and knowledge
transfer and information staff.

20.  Forestry is suitably placed to:
◦ Help maintain viable rural communities
◦ To stimulate rural development
◦ Provide alternative/additional rural activities for enterprise,
employment etc.
◦ Afforestation is an effective farm diversification policy for the
farming community,
however,
◦ without putting additional structures in place it is not effective
as a wider rural development initiative.

21. Capacity Building, Governance
and Knowledge Systems

22.  Considered the importance of governance arrangements to facilitate
the development of grassroots initiatives at the regional and local
level, particularly in answering the increasing challenges of
globalizing forces.
 Examples of specific interfaces/common boundaries
 Illustrate diversity of arrangements and interfaces
 Reveal extent of existing and potential learning and innovation
capacity in a rural context
 Highlight nature of blockages and constraints
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23.  Firstly - identified public strategies which support
learning, innovation and capacity building in a rural and
regional development context within the BMW Region
 Secondly – carried out a review of the selected
grassroots initiatives in terms of support of joint learning
and innovation - focusing on support arrangements
based on main criteria of initiation, expertise and
facilitation, and finance.
 10 initiatives selected – narrowed to 4 initiatives.

24. West of Ireland
– County Roscommon
Úna Bhán Tourism
Co-operative
Roscommon Home
Services
Grassroots
Kilbride Community development Interfaces or
Devt Co-operative initiatives Common
Gleeson’s Townhouse Boundaries
And Artisan Foods
Ros. Co. Co. Pobal RIDC FAS CEB
n
no of
t io
Su pol
va
in n
& t io
pp icie
ng lita
or s
tin
ni ci
EU
ar Fa
g
Teagasc
Government Departments
Local development St. Angela’s College
BMW Regional Assembly
le
prioritised VEC
LEADER
WDC
Education and
‘Public Administration’ Advisory function
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25.  Example 1: Local ‘agency’ collective interfacing
 Example 2: Pobal;
 Example 3: Gleeson’s Town House and Artisan
Foods:
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26. Local ‘Agency’ Collective Interfacing
• Strong inter-agency co-operation
• Shared committee membership
• A good overview of development needs -
• Example: Training needs analysis of micro-
enterprises
• Informal collaboration as effort to set locally-
relevant development agenda
• Constrained operational and funding remits (set at
national level)
• ‘subcontractors’ of government? (Jones, 2001)
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27. Pobal (Agency) Interfaces
• Delivery agency for government NDP
programmes
• Social inclusion/equality focus
• Parameters clearly set
• One-to-one project support via local
area case officer (CO)
• Familiarity with project context
• Nature of project/CO relations - Key
to maximising project benefits
within set parameters
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28.  From 1996 - Townhouse, Restaurant
 2007 - Artisan Food Shop - consolidating locally-based
food connection
 Place-based identity with high quality local food
production
 Informal networks with local producers
 BMW Voucher Innovation Scheme
(marketing local produce in shop)
 RIDC’s “Roscommon Food Showcase” initiative –
assistance with project planning
 Gleeson’s as RIDC main promoters on this project
 Catalyst for drawing in other producers
 Membership of Good Food Ireland Network (i.e.
accessing international network)
 International (global) dimension essential to marketing
 But, local agencies vital in consolidating local base
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29. Direct forms of support and facilitation
None of the grassroots initiatives could operate without funding supports….
However, observed need for more flexibility in interpreting the way in which
funding could be applied.
Certain conditions and parameters attaching to funding (driven by national
imperatives) - can dilute core aims of initiatives – as they make decisions to
‘trade off’ between securing funding to keep them operating, or trying to go
alone without support.
Level of paperwork and perceived ‘red-tape’ - applying for funding could be
better streamlined - reflecting the voluntary nature of the initiatives.

30. Indirect forms of support and facilitation
Formal and informal networking - vital for exchange of information and developing systems of mutual
support and facilitation.
For Example:
The on-going involvement of agencies - a core part of the value in this networking – they have ability
to act as interface between initiatives and government (main provider of finance)
They are in the position to provide key information and advice on funding and other capacity-building
opportunities such as training, or to guide initiatives in the case of major policy changes.
They provide more informal support through their ability to link initiatives with each other or with other
agencies.
E.g. Agencies in County Roscommon - representatives on each other’s management boards -
facilitates - on-going flow of information and knowledge

31.  Linking initiatives and networking initiatives – hugely important
 Achieved through representatives from organisations or initiatives
occupying places on agency boards of management.
 Links between the initiatives surveyed and third level institutes were almost
non-existent.
 Support from local communities for initiatives was regarded as an important
dimension that would ultimately help to build capacity and ensure success.
 However, it would appear that levels of local awareness and support varied
and were not by any means assured. If there is not support and buy-in from
the local community, then an important layer in the knowledge and capacity-
building process is missing.

32. DERREG Project Research showed:
 Good Practice Example showed:
◦ Innovation
◦ Resilience
◦ Community Spirit in Challenging Times
Significance of Rural Agencies as the interface
between RD initiatives/organisations and
government for the continued sustainability and
development of rural spaces.

33. Thank You
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