A network of independent organisations and individuals with extensive knowledge and experience of living and working in rural Wales have worked together for the past two years to highlight the potential of our rural areas.
In 2019 we produced a document called “Grasping the Potential” that pointed to a gap in Welsh policy to address the opportunities for regeneration and now recovery across rural Wales. We have recently followed this up with the attached document called “Growing the Potential”. Our new document highlights our fears that Wales is failing to build on community led rural development initiatives such as LEADER to support locally driven innovation.
We are calling on future elected representatives of all parties, to commit to a community-based innovative approach to rural development. We call for decision-making that is evidence-based, responsive to community voices, and alert to policy impacts on rural inequalities. There should be guaranteed funding for a community innovation programme, at least equivalent to that in the last RDP.
