To mark three decades of supporting sustainable development in rural areas, the Centre for Rural Economy (CRE) has published ‘Rural Policy Revisited’ which brings together a collection of policy notes grounded in research and practical innovation across the North East and beyond.
The future of the rural economy
The publication covers a variety of topics important to the future of the rural economy, including communities, business and enterprise, and land management, and reflects CRE’s understanding of how its many components are interconnected.
Professor Guy Garrod, Director of CRE, said: “Despite their many strengths and innovative possibilities, rural areas in the UK face a range of seemingly intractable, inter-related and long-standing challenges.
“Rural disadvantage continues, the deep-rooted problems of rural poverty and the provision of affordable rural homes remain, and rural digital connectivity is a major concern. Policy and development responses to these challenges need to be sensitive to the highly-differentiated circumstances of rural places in order to meet their needs, but also to nurture their many contributions to resilience, prosperity and wellbeing."
The report draws on interdisciplinary social science and applied policy research to put forward key policy message on contemporary areas including Levelling Up, changing working patterns, the future of land use and the transition in agriculture.
Read more on the CRE website.
About the CRE
The Centre for Rural Economy is a research centre at Newcastle University. It specialises in interdisciplinary social science and applied policy research. Its interdisciplinary research focuses on building a sustainable rural economy.