Maura Farrell

New opportunities and cautionary steps? Farmers, forestry and rural development in Ireland

New opportunities and cautionary steps? Farmers, forestry and rural development in Ireland It is argued that European agriculture is currently confronted with a multitude of critical challenges and developmental changes, in which the viability of farms based solely on traditional forms of production applies only to a minority who can compete at the level and scale of global markets. The challenge to the remaining majority of farmers and to wider agricultural communities is to remain viable through adoption of alternative farm activities and enterprises under what is described as a multifunctional model of agriculture. One activity that is emerging as a realistic economic option under this rural restructuring is forestry. From an increasing range of policy perspectives within agriculture, rural development, environment, tourism and industry, forestry is becoming redefined as much more than a resource for primary production. It is also an activity which offers enormous potential as a secondary resource, particularly when its significance as an ecological, amenity, recreational and environmental reserve is successfully realised. However, evidence would suggest that Irish farmers have been particularly slow to embrace forestry as a potential resource. In what is generally accepted as a time of economic crisis for the agricultural sector, this paper explores the perceptions, attitudes and apparent reluctance of Irish farmers to engage in forestry as a viable farm enterprise. We assess this evidence against the prevailing EU and national policy context for forestry, particularly the range of incentives and/or barriers to forestry, and seek to establish if, and to what extent, reasons lie within the policy context, or whether farmers contest the notion of forestry as an agricultural activity for other, more ideological or practical, reasons.

Quantifying the viability of farming in Ireland: can decoupling address the regional imbalances?

Abstract Irish agriculture has undergone fundamental transformations in the last two decades. A growing divergence between farming and non-farming incomes and a significant increase in part-time farming have led to intense debates surrounding the future viability of the Irish farmer. Irrespective of such deliberations, agriculture still remains an important employer and contributor to the regional economies of Ireland, a factor that is discussed in this paper. An analysis of the financial performance of farms shows that the regions that rely most on agriculture as an employer have the most economically and physically disadvantaged farms. The paper examines the role of agricultural policy in addressing this regional imbalance. In particular, the recent decoupling policy is examined. The results of economic models suggest that the decoupling reform increases the viability of farming in Ireland across all regions. However, the decision to implement the historical decoupled payment scheme has served to perpet...

The Importance of Evaluation--The Case of the "The Options for Farm Families Programme" in Ireland.

Abstract Purpose: The article explores the significance of ‘evaluation’ in the delivery of multifunctional extension advisory programmes and argues the necessity of integrating evaluation into programme planning, to ensure that programme guidelines are adhered to and extension advisory programmes generate their desired impact. The article focuses on the Irish Extension Advisory Service (Teagasc) as they implement major programme restructuring mechanisms to meet the challenges in the Irish agricultural community. Design/methodology/approach: One extension programme indicative of this restructuring is ‘The Options for Farm Families Programme’. This programme embraces a multifunctional approach whereby extension advisers transfer relevant knowledge and advice to ‘farm families’ about future ‘options’. While the programme displays vision and forward thinking, on evaluation (using Bennetts Hierarchy as a methodological evaluation process), significant failings in the programmes implementation were discovered. Findings: The evaluation carried out on the Options Programme discovered that the process and guidelines of the programme were not adhered to, resulting in the programme having little or no impact on the programme participants. Practical implications: The practical implication of this evaluation research was the provision of feedback to Teagasc which resulted in the implementation of programme changes, many of which come into effect in the coming months. Originality/value: The added value lies in the notion that not only is evaluation an integral part of any successful extension programme development but there is also a need to ‘embrace error’ which allows for individual and collective learning. Few studies, particularly in an Irish context, have sought to evaluate multifunctional extension programmes, despite the evidence that the intervention of such professionals has greatly influenced the behaviour of many farm families.

Perception of Marginality and Peripherality in an Irish Rural Context

Abstract The existence of marginal regions is closely linked to the socio-spatial polarisation of our society. Although marginality and peripherality can be considered a multidimensional phenomenon, the literature as well as social discourses often address only some of its dimensions, in particular on the basis of objective approaches. Such a research is usually based on the quantification of a wide range of statistical indicators, whether of a social, environmental or economic nature. This study aims to capture another equally important dimension of this phenomenon, namely the perception of marginality and peripherality. Drawing on a series of interviews carried out with experts in the field of Irish rurality, this research points to the various perceptions of this phenomenon in rural Ireland. The results once again confirm the complexity of marginality and peripherality, and highlight many differences but also similarities that exist with regard to this phenomenon in the Irish rural context.

FARM FAMILIES AND FUTURE OPTIONS – THE ROLE OF THE EXTENSION ADVISORY SERVICE IN SHAPING IRISH AGRICULTURE

Abstract Agriculture across Europe is very much driven by the reforms initiated by the European Union (EU) and World Trade Organisation negotiations. Reforms have mobilised a shift in agricultural practices from production to a somewhat contested post-production and, more recently, multifunctional agriculture regime. Accompanying such change has been the debate on the future of farming, the role of agriculture within the countryside, and the extent to which the sector will maintain support from the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the EU. Central to these discussions, in terms of bringing about beneficial change on farms and in rural areas, is the advice and direction available to farmers. The agricultural extension advisory services are an integral component of this process. This paper explores the position of public extension advisory services in Ireland and determines the extent to which these services are impacting the trajectory of modern agricultural practices within a framework of more traditional views of farmers and farm families.