A research report by Arad research company has shown that Urdd Gobaith Cymru contributed £44.9 million to the Welsh...
Rural policy
Creating an entrepreneurial nation has been a policy goal since the advent of devolution. How to foster this has been less straightforward. Over the coming months the Arsyllfa team, along with a range of wider contributors, will use Carmarthenshire as a case study to test and seek further ideas on how this can be developed across Wales.
Wales Climate Week 2023 to focus on fairness
The Wales Climate Week 2023 will have a special focus on fairness, and the ways in which we can ensure any changes in...
NFU Cymru survey shows high support for spending on farming in Wales
A new survey of over 1,000 adults in Wales has shown that the vast majority of people in Wales support the principle...
Farm safety sessions at the Winter Fair
Farming Connect have announced that they are to hold farm safety sessions with the Wales Farm Safety Partnership in...
Farmers warned to be vigilant as blue tongue virus found in Kent
Farmers across the UK have been told to be vigilant after the first case of blue tongue was discovered in Kent, the...
Meat Promotion Wales celebrates sustainability milestone
Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) have welcomed the findings of new audits that show the sustainability of hill and upland...
Welsh Government provides £1 million for ammonia reduction in agriculture
The Welsh Government have announced that they are to provide £1 million to projects that can show that they can reduce...
Farming Connect announces workshops to reduce emissions
Farming Connect have announced a series of free workshops to help farmers understand how they can reduce emissions in...
Welsh Government announce £4.6m programme to reduce flood risk
The Welsh Government have announced a £4.6m programme to prevent floods by utilising nature-based solutions. The Welsh...
NFU Cymru expresses concern about the future of the dairy industry in Wales
With the dairy industry coming together at the Welsh dairy Show, NFU Cymru have stated that dairy farmers face a...
Growing tea in Powys as part of Farming Connect’s Try Out Fund
A new study funded by Farming Connect is looking at the possibility of growing tea successfully on Welsh hill farms....
Farming Connect announce plan to trial rock dust as grass nutrient
Farming Connect have announced that they are funding a pilot project that will see two farms in Powys using rock dust...
Advance payments of the Basic Payments Scheme to start
Lesley Griffiths has announced that £158m of payments will be distributed to 15,600 farms across Wales today as the...
Ban on glue traps and snares comes into force
The Welsh Government’s ban on glue traps and snares for the purposes of hunting animals and pest control has come into...
The Welsh Centre for Language Planning to host lecture on materialism, neoliberalism and the Celtic language
The Welsh Centre for Language planning have announced that they are hosting a lecture by Dr. Ben Ó Ceallaigh titled...
Paper calls for ‘spatial justice’ for countryside
A new paper by Professor Michael Woods from the Geography and Earth Sciences Department at Aberystwyth University has...
Innovative Farmers group to hold research workshop
Innovative Farmers have announced that they are holding a digital workshop on 19 October 2023 to research how to...
OECD publishes two reports on innovation in rural Scotland
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have published two reports looking at innovation in...
Farmers Union of Wales President expresses concern over new Habitat scheme
The Farmers Union of Wales has repeated concerns regarding the lack of detail available regarding the Habitat Wales...
IWA and Bangor University to hold event discussing the ‘Energy Island’
The Institute of Welsh Affairs is to hold a joint event with Bangor University in Menai Science Park on 5 October 2023...
Lesley Griffiths announces that applications for the Habitat Wales Scheme will open soon
Lesley Griffiths MS, The Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales has announced that applications for the Habitat...
Welsh Council for Voluntary Action launch grants for environmental projects
The Welsh Council for Voluntary Action have announced that the next round of the Landfill Disposals Tax Communities...
Riverford group launch petition calling for fair treatment by supermarkets
Riverford farmers group have called on the bigest supermarkets in the UK to ensure fair terms for the farmers that...
VIDEO: Tackling the challenge of the Nature Emergency
Dan Lock, Valleys Regional Park’s Landscape, Culture and Identity Convenor, spent a day with the rangers at Bryngarw...
Snowdonia National Park announces new tourism plan
Snowdonia National Park has announced the Eryri & Gwynedd 2035 Partnership that will outline a new vision...
Tickets for Wales Real Food and Farming Conference go on sale
Tickets for the fifth Wales Real Food and Farming Conference have gone on sale. The conference will be held in Coleg...
Building Communities Trust to launch new indices
Building Communities Trust are holding a virtual event on 25 September 2023 to launch two new indices - the Wales...
NFU Cymru expresses concern about loss of income following the end of Glastir
NFU Cymru’s Rural Affairs Board has expressed concern that those who are currently in receipt of a Glastir contract...
Innovative research to try to fight liver fluke
Scientists from Aberstwyth University are researching new methods of fighting a parasite that affects most sheep...
Welsh Government provide £600,000 to improve health and safety for fishers and aquaculture workers
The Welsh Government is encouraging workers and businesses in the fishing and aquaculture industries in Wales to make...
Sheep meat exports from the UK increase compared to 2022
An analysis of HMRC data conducted by Hybu Cig Cymru Meat Promotion Wales has shown that sheep meat exports from the...
Agriculture (Wales) Act receives Royal Assent
The Agriculture (Wales) Act has become legislation after it received Royal Assent. In a statement the Welsh Government...
Lesley Griffiths announces start of bovine TB project
A project to try to get to grips with bovine TB in Pembrokeshire has begun according to Lesley Griffiths following the...
Wales Council for Voluntary Action announces new grant for coastal communities
The Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) have launched a new grant scheme with the aim of funding community...
Restanza in Blaenau: Creating a new foundational politics – Guest blog by Lowri Cunnington Wynn
Restanza means choosing to stay in a place in a conscious, active and proactive way by actively guarding it, being...
Powys Council Cabinet approves plan to help the homeless
Powys Council Cabinet have approved a plan to help the homeless, by ensuring they receive secure accommodation as soon...
Lottery money to protect rainforest in the Elan Valley
The National Lottery Heritage Fund have announced that they are to give £247,194 towards protecting an area of...
NFU Cymru raises concerns about Welsh Government tree planting strategy
NFU Cymru have once more expressed their concerns regarding the Welsh Governments intention to compel farmers to plant...
Farming Connect announces Agri Academy 2023
Farming Connect have announced the 24 individuals who have won a place on the Agri Academy 2023. According to Farming...
Julie James launches Climate Action Wales public engagement strategy
Julie James, the Environment Minister, has launched the Welsh Government’s strategy to promote messages regarding...
Vaughan Gething announces that a plan to establish a community bank by Monmouthshire Building Society will not go ahead
Vaughan Gething, Minister for the Economy for the Welsh Government, has announced that a plan to create a community...
Shaping the future of rural Wales: the potential role of remote working
The Centre for Cross Border Studies (CCBS) recently unveiled a report, authored by its Director, Dr. Anthony Soares,...
Rural Coalition calls on political parties to work in favour of rural communities
A report by the Rural coalition has called on all political parties to commit to policies that will help strengthen...
Ramblers Cymru’s Paths to Wellbeing project creates 145 new walking routes
Ramblers Cymru’s paths to Wellbeing project have announced that they have helped to create 145 new walking routes...
Mid and West Wales Fire and rescue Service issue warning to farmers
Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service have published a reminder to farmers to take measure to ensure their...
Wales Centre for Public Policy publishes first report for net zero group
The Wales Centre for Public Policy have presented their first report to the Wales Net Zero Challenge Group 2035,...
Cardiff University co-operating with Waikato University in New Zealand to learn Environmental lessons
Cardiff University and Waikato University have announced that they are co-operating on research looking at how Wales...
NFU Cymru criticises changes in regulatory fees and charging regime by Natural Resources Wales
NFU Cymru have expressed their disappointment in an increase in fees in the regulatory fees and charging regime that...
New Farmers Union of Wales President elected
Ian Rickman has been elected as the new President of the Farmers Union of Wales following a unanimous vote in his...
Next round of tree planting grants to open soon
The next round of funding to create woodlands in Wales opens from 24 July until 15 September. This is the last chance...
Aberystwyth University receives £500,000 to research possible uses of artificial intelligence to develop new crops
Aberystwyth University has received £500,000 by the UK Government to research the uses of artificial intelligence to...
Mark Drakeford launches plan to expand National Forest for Wales
Mark Drakeford has launched the National Forest for Wales Status Scheme that aims to ensure a way of including...
New report by NFU Cymru launched in the Senedd
NFU Cymru’s Next Generation Group have launched a new report have launched a new Report in Cardiff Bay. The group is...
Welsh Community Pubs Network announce first meeting
The Welsh Community Pubs Network have announced that they are conducting an informal networking event for community...
Rural loneliness researchers looking for volunteers
Academics from Aberystwyth University conducting research into rural loneliness are looking for volunteers to share...
£58m investment in active travel routes announced
Lee Waters, the Deputy Minister with responsibility for Transport has announced that the Welsh Government will invest...
National Lottery Heritage Fund to hold tree planting grant webinars
The National Lottery Heritage Fund is to hold online publicity sessions in order to advertise The Woodland Investment...
Cyngor Gwynedd cabinet vote to proceed with the process of controlling numbers of second homes and holiday lets
Cyngor Gwynedd’s cabinet have voted to endorse a report that seeks to require owners of second homes and holiday lets...
IBERS to take part in ‘Pea Protein’ project
Aberystwyth University’s IBERS department is to take part in a new project to discover new types of peas in order to...
Welsh Government holding consultation on housing sector
The Welsh Government have launched a green paper with the aim of consulting public opinion with regards to aspects of...
Julie James publishes written statement on the introduction of the Infrastructure (Wales) Bill
Julie James, the Climate Change Minister for the Welsh Government has laid the Infrastructure (Wales) Bill and its...
NFU Cymru holding their second Celebration of Welsh Food and Farming Week
NFU Cymru’s celebration of Welsh food and farming is returning once more. The week of events will start on the 19th of...
First report of the Commission for Welsh-speaking communities is published
The Commission for Welsh-speaking communities has announced a proposal to designate certain parts of Wales as ‘areas...
Collaboration unveiled in boost to Welsh agri-food economy
Lesley Griffiths, Welsh Government Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd visited Grŵp Llandrillo...
Multi-million pound investment in future of Coleg Glynllifon
Coleg Glynllifon seeks to build on its recent successes and consolidate its position at the cutting-edge of...
Review of Wales’ renewable energy targets – consultation closes
The consultation launched by Climate Change Minister Julie James MS, on the Welsh Government’s new target of meeting...
Agriculture (Wales) Bill moves to Stage 3
The Agriculture (Wales) Bill continues its journey through the Senedd. For the first time the Senedd is considering...
First Wales Wildlife and Rural Crime Strategy to be launched
Wildlife and rural crime can come in many forms such as the theft of agricultural equipment, devastating livestock...
Circular agriculture
Circularity in agriculture is increasingly recognised as a promising strategy to support a green transition towards...
Town centres: position statement from the Welsh Government
Two thirds of Wales’s population live in towns or cities with more than 10,000 people. Successful town and city...
A visitor levy for Wales
The Welsh Government is working on proposals that will give local authorities powers to introduce a visitor levy. This...
New Vice-Chancellor for UWTSD
Professor Elwen Evans, KC, has been appointed as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wales and the University of...
Report identifies areas of the UK prospective for critical raw materials
Report identifies areas of the UK prospective for critical raw materials The British Geological Survey (BGS) has...
The benefits of tailored-made rural support for micro-enterprises
The Scottish Government has published findings from an evaluation of a pilot project providing a range of integrated,...
Thematic Group on Rural Proofing publishes final outputs
The European Network of Rural Development, (ENRD) has produced A Framework of Rural Proofing Actions with the aim of...
Sustainable Farming Scheme – Outline Proposals Published
The Welsh Government has published its outline proposals for The Sustainable Farming Scheme, the main source of future...
The End of LEADER in Powys
A celebration event was held on July 7th to mark the end of the LEADER programme in Powys. It marked 30 years of...
Rural Programme Showcase
Two half day workshops recently showcased the work of Rural Futures, the community development element of The...
Rural Policy at a Crossroads : Reflections from Northern Ireland
Rural policy in Northern Ireland is at a genuine crossroads. This is the conclusion of a report commissioned from...
£227m to support Wales’ rural economy towards a greener and more sustainable future
The Welsh Government is making £227m available over the next three years to support the resilience of Wales’ rural...
Levelling Up the United Kingdom, but what does it mean for Wales?
The Levelling Up the United Kingdom white paper outlines the next steps of the social and economic levelling up...
Delivering the potential of rural Wales
Wales Rural Compass grew from a network of individuals and independent enterprise agencies with a long history of...
Rural Wales seminar
Delivering the Potential of Rural Wales – June 22 2021, 2pm – 4.30pm As the new Welsh Government begins work on...
Growing the potential
A network of independent organisations and individuals with extensive knowledge and experience of living and working...
Remote Working – Wales Centre for Public Policy
One of the consequences of lockdowns and public health restrictions has been requiring people, where they can, to work...
Rise of the rural office
By Aled Rhys Jones, Founder of ON THE LAND I remember being given a business card about five or six years ago which...
Green Recovery: Priorities for Action Report
In partnership with a number of organisations, Natural Resources Wales has published the Green Recovery: Priorities...
WLGA launch their vision for rural Wales
The Welsh Local Government Association has launched their vision for rural Wales in order to address the address some...
The growth of local milk supply chains in rural Wales
At the start of the pandemic there were images of dairy farmers disposing tonnes of their produce due to falling...
Llwyddo’n Lleol 2050 supporting Young Entrepreneurs in Gwynedd and Anglesey
Over a 10-week period in the summer, Menter Môn carried out the ‘Llwyddo'n Lleol 2050’ project on behalf of the Arfor...
New Report: Wales Field Guide for Future Generations
The Wales Field Guide for Future Generations calls for the country to ‘seize this critical moment’ to resource and...
Mid Wales and South West Wales Economic Frameworks
Working together, the Welsh Government and regional partners are inviting people to join them in establishing a shared...
Smart Rural: the utilisation of digital infrastructure
The ‘Smart Rural’ report commissioned by BT Cymru Wales, and produced by Wavehill, reviews the use of digital...
Tourism in Rural Wales? A more sustainable future
As a result of Covid a number of challenges have arisen in rural Wales in recent months and certainly one of the...
About Rural Network Wales
By Liz Bickerton, Chair of Rural Network Wales In November 2018 a group of individuals and representatives of...
Rural recovery plan
Aberystwyth University and the Welsh Local Government Association Rural Forum are working together on a rural recovery...
Big data and how Wales is grasping the opportunity
It is incredible to think that there are 5 billion smart phone users in the world, and that on average, they each use...
Is digital innovation a friend or foe to rural Wales?
Is digital innovation – a descriptive term for artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), use of big...
Digital innovation – are our policy makers preparing Wales for change?
While it is accepted that digital innovation is a game changer, it remains difficult to define. Professor Phil Brown,...
Join the charter for Rural Network Wales
Thoughts on a Charter for Rural Wales A network of independent organisations and individuals with extensive knowledge...
Arsyllfa enters Phase 2 and adapts to current developments
As Arsyllfa enters the second phase of its delivery, the project team concludes that its work is more important than...
Arsyllfa supports the Covid-19 rural policy response
It is obviously too early to analyse what impact Covid-19, along with the social distancing measures to combat it,...
Building from the community up – innovation at a time of crisis
How local communities are responding proactively to the crisis During this unprecedented time local enterprise...
Covid-19 has hit the rural economy, but new opportunities are emerging
The project team has reviewed press coverage, reports and academic articles to assess the impact of Covid-19 on rural...
Llandovery’s Deep Place Study Provides Learning for all of Carmarthenshire
The project advisory group recently reviewed The Llandovery Deep Place Study: A Pathway for Future Generations, led by...
EU Review advocates smarter rural business support
The project advisory group recently looked at Reimagining Rural Business Opportunities, a collection of articles...
Food for thought from researchers at the Innovation Foundation
The project advisory group recently reviewed a collection of essays by expert researchers, policymakers and...
Carmarthenshire could benefit from flexible regional investment
The project advisory group recently reviewed A Framework for Regional Investment in Wales: Securing Wales’ Future, a...
Could Brexit provide the impetus for a new approach to rural development?
The project advisory group recently reviewed the 2018 paper ‘After Brexit: 10 key questions for rural policy in...
Eminent contributors call for a Rural Commissioner
The project advisory group recently reviewed the Rural Wales: Time to Meet the Challenge 2025 report led by Eluned...
Carmarthenshire towns must embrace the challenges
In its recent review of the The Future of Towns in Wales report, the project advisory panel were encouraged by some of...
Lessons from a global rural policy framework
The project advisory group recently reviewed the OECD’s Rural Policy 3.0, an overarching framework to help national...
An insight into Carmarthenshire’s new rural strategy
The project advisory group recently reviewed the ‘Moving Rural Carmarthenshire Forward’ report by Carmarthenshire...
Rural workshop attendees call for a unified rural voice
The project advisory group recently attended and reviewed the output of the Carno Rural Workshop held in July 2019,...
Entrepreneurship in Carmarthenshire workshop with UWTSD
An Entrepreneurship in Carmarthenshire workshop was held in partnership between the Arsyllfa project and University...
Scoping study on entrepreneurial support in Carmarthenshire
The Arsyllfa project team worked with OB3 Research over June/July 2018 to develop an initial scoping feasibility...
Carmarthenshire economic think tank to foster entrepreneurial culture
Leading economic experts from across Wales have announced plans to launch a major two year project focused on...