Report Urges Greater Emphasis on Enterprise in Delivering Rural Development Programme

Report Urges Greater Emphasis on Enterprise in Delivering Rural Development Programme --- author is Dr Pat Bogue of the NRN

A greater focus on rural enterprise and entrepreneurship in the delivery of the Rural Development Programme is recommended in a report published this week.

The report is published by the National Rural Network (NRN) at the Tipperary Institute and was drawn up by a working group of representatives of rural development agencies and rural organisations. The group was chaired by John Malone, former Secretary General of the Department of Agriculture and Food. The report’s author is Dr Pat Bogue of the NRN.

It addresses the dramatic changes in off-farm and rural employment in recent years and makes wide-ranging recommendations on the development of an enterprise culture that will enable rural areas to play a role in economic recovery. It also proposes measures aimed at maximising uptake of funding for the establishment of rural enterprises under the €425m LEADER programme. The group reviewed data from various sources, especially work done by Teagasc in relation to the challenges in establishing new rural development enterprises.

The report recommends greater collaboration between state bodies and local agencies providing services to farmers and rural dwellers as well as building shared services by Local Action Groups in the delivery of the LEADER programme.

It proposes that Government departments and Local Action Groups should work together to minimise and simplify application procedures for LEADER funding, within permitted EU guidelines. It calls for the development of a regulatory environment appropriate to the scale and innovative nature of local enterprise development. It also says that the funding gap that exists in the LEADER programme for enterprises with more than 10 employees should be addressed.

Among the other key recommendations are:

Entrepreneurship should be included as a core module in all education courses, including mainstream agricultural courses provided by Teagasc.
Specific enterprise development programmes should be provided for recently unemployed rural people who are eager to re-enter the workforce or develop an income earning idea.

Focus Enterprises, similar to the Focus Farm concept, should be developed as vehicles for channelling advice and information to existing and potential entrepreneurs. The Focus Enterprises could be linked to Rural Innovation Centres which would act as a hub for entrepreneurial support.
Mentoring and business coaching should be developed by Local Action Groups for existing and new rural enterprises.

The Teagasc Options Programme needs to be revitalised and refocused and should be run on a partnership basis with FÁS, Local Action Groups and educational institutions in order to provide the best advice to farmers under financial pressure, especially those who have lost off-farm jobs.
New approaches, including partnerships between agencies, should be developed to encourage an increased level of farm diversification.

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