Sally Shortall is Duke of Northumberland
Professor of Rural Economy at Newcastle University. In our latest Landbridge blog she explains
why she would welcome a more holistic approach to rural policy in a post Brexit
world.
I grew up
on a farm, in a farming family, and my brothers still farm. My own academic career has included extensive
research on farming households, and particularly women’s work on farms. I know how fundamental farming is for the
countryside, for our landscapes, our food production and our rural
economy. And I also know that farming is
not an industry that operates in isolation.
Agriculture may be the weft of a
rural community but it is woven through with many other industries and
businesses, from the micro to the multinational level.
As the UK
prepares to exit the European community, we have a unique opportunity to take a
completely fresh look at a wide range of issues, including how we think about
the rural economy. For the past 40 years
the Common Agricultural Policy has structured all the support provided. Policymakers have attempted to draw environmental
protection and rural development into the picture and programmes such as LEADER
can demonstrate some successes. But has
this approach really reflected the tightknit linkages between businesses in the
countryside? Many farming households
include individuals working in professions and skilled occupations outside the
industry, or who are running their own businesses from home. We know that rural residents are a
particularly entrepreneurial bunch, with more business start-ups per head of
population than in many urban areas.
Household income is often coming from a range of sources within and
beyond agriculture. I know from my own
research that the role of women is often a key element in this pattern.
The farm
and its associated businesses are, in their turn, linked into the local
economy. They call upon the wide range
services needed from vets, agronomists, land agents, ecologists or financial
advisers, they are buying their bread from the local bakery, they are
interacting at every level.
So maybe
policymakers should be thinking much more about support for this system of
rural development and entrepreneurship, rather than focusing only on one part
of it? That is the approach we have
taken in the Centre for Rural Economy “After Brexit: 10 key questions for rural policy”. At this stage we are not trying
to tell policymakers what they need to do.
It feels too early for that and we do not yet have enough information. Rather we want to help define the
questions. We know that predominantly
rural areas in England alone contribute at least £237 billion a year directly
to the economy and the UK countryside has the potential to contribute even
more. But policy in the past, has often
failed to meet the specific needs of rural communities. We have urged the government to take more
account of these when moving into a post Brexit era.
Our 10
key questions cover issues from skills needs of the rural workforce, to housing
and infrastructure and the need to ensure communities are well connected. We also aim to point up the opportunities,
for example, in maintaining the supply of public and environmental goods.
We want
to launch our paper with policymakers over the next few weeks and we would
welcome any thoughts from Landbridge members, particularly those working and
living in rural communities. What do you
think? Please get in touch at landbridge@ncl.ac.uk
