Our Rural Future: Rural Development Policy 2021-2025
- Published on: 29 March 2021
- Last updated on: 20 July 2021
- Our Rural Future: Rural Development Policy 2021-2025
- Vision and policy context
- Rural Ireland Today
- Optimising Digital Connectivity
- Supporting Employment and Careers in Rural Areas
- Revitalising Rural Towns and Villages
- Enhancing Participation, Leadership and Resilience in Rural Communities
- Enhancing Public Services in Rural Areas
- Transitioning to a Climate Neutral Society
- Supporting the Sustainability of Agriculture, the Marine and Forestry
- Supporting the Sustainability of our Islands and Coastal Communities
- Implementation of the policy
- List of policy measures
- Accompanying documents
Our Rural Future: Rural Development Policy 2021-2025
The vision of this policy is for a thriving rural Ireland which is integral to our national economic, social, cultural and environmental wellbeing and development. An Ireland which is built on the interdependence of urban and rural areas. An Ireland which recognises the centrality of people, the importance of vibrant and lived-in rural places, and the potential to create quality jobs and sustain our shared environment.
Vision and policy context
Our Rural Future represents the Irish Government’s blueprint for a post-COVID-19 recovery and development of rural Ireland over the next 5 years. It provides the framework to achieve the vision of transforming the quality of life and opportunity for people living in rural areas.
Rural Ireland Today
While the term “rural Ireland” is widely used, there are many different perceptions of what “rural Ireland” means. The fact is that rural areas are not identical and every town, village and parish differs considerably in term of its individual strengths, needs, and possibilities.
Optimising Digital Connectivity
High quality digital connectivity offers an unprecedented opportunity to transform rural Ireland.
An ambition of this policy is to improve digital connectivity for rural communities and enterprises through the delivery of high speed broadband to every part of the country. It aims to bridge the gap in urban-rural connectivity and to support rural businesses to trade online and broaden their customer base.
Supporting Employment and Careers in Rural Areas
Rural areas support a range of enterprises which employ thousands of people in rural Ireland.
An ambition of this policy is to have more people working in rural Ireland, with access to more employment opportunities. It aims to boost the growth of regional employment by creating an environment that supports entrepreneurship and enterprise growth in rural areas.
Revitalising Rural Towns and Villages
Our towns and villages are at the heart of social and economic activity in rural Ireland.
An ambition of this policy is to support the regeneration, re-population, and development of rural towns and villages to contribute to local and national economic recovery. It aims to enable people to live and work in a high quality environment.
Enhancing Participation, Leadership and Resilience in Rural Communities
Communities are the lifeblood of rural Ireland and they have played a key role in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
An ambition of this policy is to create more sustainable and cohesive rural communities where all people can get involved in the development of their community and can experience a shared national recovery.
To achieve this objective, there will be investment in communities to enhance their social, cultural, economic and environmental wellbeing and quality of life.
Enhancing Public Services in Rural Areas
Access to good quality public and other services is essential to encourage people to continue to live in rural areas, towns and villages, and to support the sustainability of rural communities.
An ambition of this policy is to ensure that people living in rural areas have access to good quality public services that enable them to continue to live sustainably in rural communities. This will help them to maintain a good quality of life.
This will be achieved by investing in improvements in public transport services, health care within communities, housing provision, early learning and childcare facilities, and community safety.
Transitioning to a Climate Neutral Society
Climate change, and our response to it, is the most significant issue of our generation and for future generations.
An ambition of this policy is to support a Just Transition for rural communities to a sustainable, resilient and climate neutral economy and society. It aims to work with rural communities and businesses to help them overcome challenges related to climate change and to maximise opportunities for them.
This will be achieved by engaging with and supporting rural communities to include them in emerging opportunities and by providing investment to support a Just Transition to a climate neutral economy.
Supporting the Sustainability of Agriculture, the Marine and Forestry
Agriculture is both a primary economic driver and a critical component of the social fabric which sustains rural communities.
An ambition of this policy is to actively support the Agriculture sector to be a vibrant, effective and sustainable driver of Ireland’s economy. This is to further improve livelihoods and cherish our shared natural environment through innovation, enhancement and diversification.
This will be achieved this by further supporting farmers and rural communities to build on the unique strengths and experience of the sector.
Supporting the Sustainability of our Islands and Coastal Communities
Both island and remote coastal communities find themselves faced with similar challenges around infrastructure, climate change, services and income generation, as well as generational renewal.
An ambition of this policy is to ensure our offshore islands continue to support sustainable and vibrant communities and that visitors have an opportunity to experience and appreciate the unique culture, heritage and environmental richness the islands have to offer.
This will be achieved through the upcoming “Action Plan for Island Development”. The policy seeks to ensure that coastal communities continue to benefit from the unique attributes of Ireland’s coastline and its natural resources in a sustainable manner.
Implementation of the policy
The policy aims to deliver wellbeing for all, and to support an aligned policy approach to rural development. It seeks to promote enhanced community participation, to prepare rural areas for technological, demographic and environmental change, and to address the diversity of challenges and opportunities facing rural areas, informed by analysis, data, and consultation.
List of policy measures
The full list of policy measures to be delivered is outlined at the link below. Measures for delivery outlined in this policy will be led by named departments and bodies, with other stakeholders involved. Time-frames for delivery of individual actions are also set out in the table.
Accompanying documents
