Action Plan for Rural Development.

This Action Plan for Rural Development is a nationwide sectoral document aiming at focusing on the positive attributes of the rural Ireland and its communities and unlock its potential through a framework of supports at national and local level. To achieve the overall goal, the Action Plan sets a number of key targets such as (i) support the creation of new jobs in rural Ireland by 2020 by supporting indigenous businesses; (ii) implement a range of initiatives to rejuvenate rural and regional towns; (iii) assist projects in rural communities to boost economic development; (iv) improve job opportunities for young people in rural areas; (v) protect vital services in rural Ireland. The areas of intervention can be summarized in the following five key thematic Pillars (1) Supporting Sustainable Communities; (2) Supporting Enterprise and Employment; (3) Maximizing Rural Tourism and Recreation Potential; (4) Fostering Culture and Creativity in rural communities; and (5) Improving Rural Infrastructure and Connectivity.
In order to reduce rural poverty, the Plan proposes a series of interventions aiming to improve the rural areas in different fields. The main ones are (i) rejuvenation of towns and villages; (ii) improvement of farmer skill levels, particularly around risk identification and management; (iii) prioritization of farm safety; (iv) enhancement of local services, including schools, banks, hospitals, primary care teams, supports for older people; (v) development of the agri-food sector; (vi) evaluation of the feasibility of introducing rates alleviation schemes; (vii) funding research in Smart Agriculture to improve farm management and increase quality of life for farmers; (viii) development of training and education programs for farmers to ensure the appropriate skill sets and improve farm practices; (ix) promotion of enterprise and employment growth through the job seekers; (x) increasing of tourism through the development of blueways, greenways and other recreational opportunities; (xi) protection and promotion of natural and built heritage assets to help employment generation; (xii) enhance of culture and creativity; (xiii) improvement of rural transport links; and (xiv) implementation of flood relief measures and other land management measures.
To enable more inclusive and efficient agricultural systems, main actions in the rural areas are intended to (i) develop the Public Participation Networks (PPNs) to ensure all local groups can input to local decision making processes; (ii) ensure that rural communities have a key role in contributing to the transition to a environmentally sustainable, climate resilient, low carbon economy; (iii) ensure they have the necessary skills to meet the needs of the labor market; (iv) support the Rural Female Entrepreneurs Initiative; (v) support farm and fishing incomes, including aquaculture and seafood processing sectors; and (v) investigate taxation measures aiming at supporting farmers through periods of volatility.