Rural skills and natural resources are the foundation of a robust rural economy, but extracting those resources without nurturing the skills needed to support nature’s regenerative capacity and create circular businesses, further exacerbates the environmental crisis.
The Southwest region of the UK serves as a microcosm of these issues and presents a unique opportunity to transform and revitalise the rural economy, which encompasses over 90 per cent rural land and the highest rural population (38 per cent) in England. It also has one of the lowest rates of social mobility in the country.
Placing people at the heart of the rural economy and investing in local talent can breathe new life into traditional skills and foster environmental stewardship. But what does a thriving rural economy that benefits people and the planet look like in today’s world? To find out, we held a roundtable discussion with a diverse group of experts including farmers, educators, industry leaders, and young makers and growers. Together, our aim was to unpack the growing challenges presently facing the rural economy.
Farmers and landowners
“There is a sense of arrogance in planning too far into the future and assuming that education inherently holds great social value and promotes social mobility. The current state of affairs suggests that education has not effectively addressed the challenges we face or promoted social mobility. In the agricultural sector, there has been a drain of skilled individuals as fewer bright young people choose to pursue farming. The lack of social recognition and value placed on farming and rural activities has contributed to this trend. It is important to create incentives and cultivate a desire for young people to remain in the agricultural industry to ensure the preservation of valuable skills. Additionally, the value of output in rural activities should be better recognised – it’s still very determined on price rather than quality. Improving the perception of value of farming output is crucial for the overall development of the rural economy”. Oliver Watson, founder, Riverford Dairy
“One key aspect that holds back rural businesses is a lack of practical problem-solving skills, such as welding and fixing equipment. These practical skills have become increasingly rare, and it is essential to pass them on to the next generation. AI technology alone will not be able to replace these skills. There is a need for more vocational and intensely practical skills development and training to address this gap and support the future of small-scale farming and environmental sustainability.” Guy Singh-Watson, founder, Riverford Organic Farmers
Industry leads and educators
“Rural skills encompass a wide range of activities associated with countryside living, including traditional skills like blacksmithing and agricultural tasks. Many people in rural areas come together to contribute and improve their surroundings. However, there is a concern about the decline of small towns and the lack of amenities, which discourages people from visiting and supporting local businesses such as pubs and shops. The hospitality sector in Torbay, for example, has numerous vacancies despite the attractiveness of the countryside for visitors. It is important to focus on sustainable tourism and identify individuals and organisations that will take responsibility for the rural economy in the coming years”. Stella West Darling, CEO of Dartmoor Community Kitchen Hub
“The current planning system is seen as a drag on rural communities and is not keeping up with their needs. There is a divide between open countryside and closed countryside, and the approach to development is overly restrictive. The planning system was originally designed to control urban sprawl but has made it difficult for small-scale horticulture to thrive and for farmers and workers to live on the land”. James Shorten, Founder/Director of TerraPermaGeo
“There is a growing recognition of the need for greater diversity in the rural economy. The concept of sustainable development has limitations, and there is a need to focus on repairing and restoring existing infrastructure and resources. It is no longer practical to simply keep things out of the countryside, as issues such as second homes and holiday homes have already become prevalent.
“The housing market in rural communities needs to address the specific needs of the local population and create opportunities for growth. Factors such as climate change, rising costs of living, and overall well-being have a significant impact on rural areas, and the solutions to these challenges should come from within these communities. There is a need for better connection and understanding between urban and rural areas.
“Flexibility and generosity are needed for agriculture workers, and there should be more support for woodland management, rural crafts, and practices that enhance public understanding and enjoyment of the countryside. The current restrictive nature of the planning system poses challenges, and a more imaginative approach is required. This includes incorporating affordable housing for locals, providing new opportunities for housing and workspaces, promoting sustainable practices such as allotments and horticulture, and embracing renewable energy initiatives like solar farms and wind turbines. The development should also consider community spaces, new woodlands, and increasing resilience and futureproofing.
“In addition to practical rural skills, we should develop emotional intelligence, and focus on other useful skills such as business planning, working with spreadsheets, fostering creativity, building food distribution networks, and promoting peer-to-peer learning. We should think about developing ‘head, heart, and hands”. Marina O’Connell, The Apricot Centre
“Education is not given a high enough priority by the government, and children today find themselves in unstable and unsupportive environments. Traditional educational approaches are no longer relevant to tackle the challenges of the future, whether in rural or urban settings. There is a need to revolutionise the education system and focus on developing not just academic knowledge but also emotional well-being and life skills. The goal is to empower individuals to find happiness and lead healthy lives, which gives more scope to foster entrepreneurship and innovation. It is important to think locally and act globally. Education is a key export for the UK but viewing UK education as the pinnacle is very concerning”.
Rich Stockdale, Founder and director of Oxygen Conservation
Growers and Crafters
“Humans have been growing and crafting in very similar ways all over the world since the beginning of time. It’s one of the most unifying connection tools we have, I think. And when people say they are not good with their hands i think it’s universally untrue. They are just out of practice. We are as natural at crafting and growing as a chicken is at scratching at the floor. We have just forgotten because a lot of us were raised in cities”.
“I also think that there is a growing myth that humans are only ‘bad’ for the wild and for nature but there is tons of evidence against that. Again, we have just forgotten how to be good custodians in the west”. Niki Campbell, Grower and basket maker at Shillingford Organics, Devon
“Training in conservation and natural history is important. We don’t just need people who work for rural economy, but we need people who care, so there is the natural history part which means better connection. There is some information out there about skills in business, I went onto a trial business course with DEFRA and LWA and I got taught business skills which was great because through volunteering in farms you get to learn about growing from doing it, from videos from books but often the business side is left out so I think although there needs more opportunities to grow food organically and sustainably but how to turn this into business is really important”.
“Funded opportunities to work and learn on farms, the trainees in the Apricot Centre are the most supported, whereas it has become really common in agroecological farming nowadays to be expected to work for free which is quite hard core, and there you pretty much learn by doing, and I don’t think it’s really fair to be doing that unless there is really training provided which is what Marina (O’Connell) is really good at. These are projects which are working bottom up but there could be some other projects that also work top down”.
“It’s about being around people who are really inspiring, I grew up near my granddad who taught me about butterflies and stuff, and I went to Nepal I was really inspired and wanted to grow food, but not commercially. Then when I came into the UK, I met really inspiring people who run food coops and with so much passion for the environment. They love what they so, and they have a positive impact and help address climate change. I think in Japanese they call it the ikigaiand farming fits that with me, it’s quite difficult to pay yourself as farmer but it’s very important”. Finn Halsall, grower and garden designer at Loveland Farm, Cornwall
Dr Fatma Sabet is a sustainable food systems educator, creator of the Shillingford Organics Farm School and research fellow at the Sustainable Futures Department in the Business School at the University of Exeter.
Sustainability and ethics should both be at the centre of any discussions on economic issues. Rural communities, like all others are going to need to come together and change the whole outdated, exploitative, consumerist system which is destroying the ecosystem at present. It may be a tall order, but it’s the only viable one! More environmentally friendly co-operative farms and market gardens which don’t rely on animals could feed many more people and also reduce the cost of living for those who participate.
Communities can get together and buy groceries wholesale and set up “libraries of things” where tools and such can be shared and lent out between all members. Bartering skills is another way to reduce outgoings. The state has largely become an extortion racket just like the USA and we all need to extricate ourselves from it as far as possible. Our taxes are used to fund giant, destructive corporations and business friends of government rather than on supplying essential services, which have been privatised to extract more money from us. It isn’t a coincidence or unavoidable that the rich are getting richer and the poorer, poorer, nor that while prices go up, wages of workers stagnate, profits are rocketing.
The choice of a photo of sheep to represent the rural economy is depressing. To be honest, if the rural economy relies upon exploitation of and cruelty to sentient beings, then it deserves to collapse. The undeniable cruelty of animal agriculture is not only unnecessary, but it produces very unhealthy “food” which is known to be linked to chronic, fatal diseases in humans who eat it. Why consume the products of cruelty when it is totally unnecessary and actually detrimental to health. There are mountains of scientific research evidence proving this beyond doubt and the cruelty of all types of animal agriculture are undeniable if you actually know what happens. Juvenille animals are killed in all of them.
Community, sustainability and ethics: without embracing ALL of these, there will be no future.
I like most of the ideas put forward about the rural economy. I like the idea of high-quality sustainably-produced, locally-made and consumed food and goods. However I also wonder, if we still want to have things like mobile phones, cars, washing machines, etc., how and where these are going to be provided? Always somewhere else by someone else? Or do we/can we also make techie stuff in a small-scale, local way? Seems unlikely. I think we need to look at the economy as a whole – what as a nation we want and need to consume and how we fulfil that consumption: UK production/imports, small-scale/big factory, etc. Personally I would like to see us making here in this country more of the stuff (including food) that we consume, but in the form of sustainably-made products. (That would also provide more skilled jobs and reduce the balance-of-payments deficit).