Strategic Plan
Before the dust settles on today's Conference, I suggest that we take time to examine the direction which the Rural Science Association now takes.
I ask that the Rural SA membership now contribute to identifying short, medium and long-term (coherent and achievable) goals for the Association so that this can be fed into a Strategic Plan.
It would be ideal if membership input could be recorded over the next three weeks so that a draft Plan can be put in place over the coming months.
The survival of rural Ireland depends on local communities achieving self sufficiency through voluntary action.
Just two examples of how this can be achieved are the Brittas Bay Coastcare Groups and the Aughrim Tidy Towns committee.
Attempts to generate life into these communities through statutory and business means failed. These areas were considered too isolated to justify investment from the business or local government sector.
Local people in Brittas set up a coastcare group and conducted beachcleans. Wicklow county council responded by funding various projects undertaken by the group. A waste disposal firm supplied prepaid plastic bags. The county council also provided a quad, a litter warden and security for their own staff in running the beach.
Aughrim Tidy Towns turned a piece of waste ground into a fish park and bowling green. Most of the work was voluntary, a building was erected using recycled materials. The building is a successful clothing shop.
The revenue generated into the local economy is exponential in relation to the original investment which was more voluntary than financial.
There are many other examples of how life can be generated back into rural areas.
If a principle should drive a rural strategy, it must be that motivation must be driven by human rather than economic factors.
That's great Bernard,
what is your vision for rural Ireland and what do you think would be the role of the rural science association (as an association of voluntary professionals) in helping bring this to fruition.
1. Participative democracy
I believe that the RSA can have a strong role to play in participative democracy, in rebalancing power structures. its strategy could look at ways to achieve this, to bring the power back to local level, whilst at the same time feeding into a parallel system of governance to that of representative democracy.
This structure of participative democracy obviously needs to be resourced, and that is the challenge. However RSA can mobilise people power.
2. Gender
RSA could tackle the challenge of gender imbalance, and needs to be mindful of this imbalance whenever it takes on any piece of work, it needs to be part of the strategic approach.
3. Nationwide approach
A third strategic aim could look at an all ireland approach to membership and representation, including graduates of The rural college Draperstown, and others.
Looking forward to your responses
Perhaps we need to examine the "Vision for Rural Ireland" in a bit more detail. Where Ireland is going is changing rapidly. For the past decade it seems to have been more or less preventing rural areas from lagging too far behind.
Now I believe that there are two challenges.
Firstly, the task is not about prevention of us lagging behind anymore but is the very survival of rural areas and the people living there.
The second challenge is for the country as a whole and is about resources, air, food and water! All of these come from Rural areas.
If rural areas don't survive, then the country doesn't survive. Survive we must, but thrive we must also.
Whether we chose to listen to those who are talking up the economy or talking down the economy, there is a reality that capitalism just ain't working anymore as it was supposed to. The way we have been doing business in Ireland is not working but as Mark Garavan said at the RSA Field Trip at Turlough Park, we are still expecting the same people who led us into the mess to lead us out of it.
I say start with the vision for rural Ireland, work out what we need to do to get there and then work out what role, if any the RSA has.