How huge untapped potential of UK’s rural economy could drive growth
A more optimistic story focusing on the potential of the rural economy. This is something I have banged on about in different settings for a long time. This article confirms many of my thoughts. It tells us:
The new landowners’ leader for the East of England believes the untapped potential of the rural economy is a “huge opportunity” for the UK as we move into a new era.
Cath Crowther – who grew up on a Welsh sheep farm – was a chartered surveyor at Bidwells when she was chosen as the new director at the eastern regional offices of landowners’ lobby group the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) in September 2019, taking over the reins from Ben Underwood.
She believes strongly that there is much more to the UK rural economy than meets the eye – and that policy needs to favour it more heavily in order for it to thrive as it should.
“The untapped potential of the rural economy is a huge opportunity for the UK. Historically, landowners and farmers have always provided local facilities, provided jobs, but could be doing more and providing more local homes, if there was a system that supported it,” she says.
Smaller village housing schemes would have less of an impact than massive ones, she points out, and villagers need housing to support local facilities and services, which are being lost in rural areas.
“We need to have rural areas that are attractive for people to either move into or stay in,” she says
All these issues are close to Cath’s heart, having grown up on a mainly arable family farm on the cliff tops of south Wales, which keeps 850 ewes. Her father is “obsessed” with soil health, she says, using digestate from a local anaerobic digestion (AD) plant. Her brother is developing a holiday cottages business with his wife.
“It’s something I’m very passionate about is farmers, landowners and rural businesses and trying to ensure their needs are recognised,” she says.
Such businesses are often very innovative, she points out, and as a surveyor she has spent time looking at lots of different diversification opportunities on farms.