CCRI Rural Policy Conference
Conflict or Consensus? The Next Decade of Rural Policy
A one-day conference for policy makers, rural stakeholders and academics
Tuesday 19 October 2010, Queens Hotel, Cheltenham
The next decade promises to bring many challenges and innovations in rural policy making as societal debates about the future use of land, climate change, demographic trends and the threat of resource ‘peaks’ come together. With the recent election in the UK and the emergence at a national level of a form of consensus politics and with the backdrop of financial retrenchment at all levels of government from the EU down, this conference looks forward to the likely consequences of these flows for the future of rural policy.
Given the diversity of influences and factors in these discussions the day will be broken down into four themes:
Land and its uses - given the projections about the need for increased food production, the possible use of land to produce biofuels and other industrial products, whilst at the very least conserving wildlife populations the pressure on rural land would appear to be becoming acute. This theme will address these challenges and the ways in which policy can balance these often conflicting demands.
Future of food - in dialogue with the debate above, questions of food policy face a number of challenges in the wake of concerns about food security at national and regional levels. Whilst what can be considered a sustainable diet is being re-framed in terms of the carbon footprint and resource use in tension with food that speaks of the production rooted in a place and values. This theme will consider how these questions may influence rural areas.
Communities in transition - rural communities are aging at a faster rate than the urban ones, whilst many of the new migrants working in rural areas come from other parts of the European Union. Faced with questions of the sustainability of settlements and lifestyles predicated on cheap energy, the potential for cherished landscapes being transformed by the discussions above and climate change rural communities are facing changes across a broad array of issues from demographic shifts to patterns of mobility.
Science, technology and rural life - recent years has seen a range of controversies that have brought into question the role of science in informing rural policy making. Increasingly the science that underpins decision-making – climate change, animal diseases, land management – is being contested. All of the debates above are informed by these tensions, this theme will address whether there can there be a way of finding consensus about these topics (Philip Lowe).
Conference Details
This conference will take place the 19th of October in Cheltenham and will be preceded by 4 on-line seminars that will set the scene for the discussions by providing background information and a briefing on the latest research. The conference aims to bring together policy makers, rural stakeholder and academics, with keynote speakers and ample time for discussion.
| Date | Activity |
| 21 September 2010 | Webinar 13:00 – 14:00 GMTTopic: ‘Land and its uses’ |
| 28th September 2010 | Webinar 13:00 – 14:00 GMTTopic: ‘Future of Food’ |
| 5th October 2010 | Webinar 13:00 – 14:00 GMTTopic: ‘Communities in transition’ |
| 12th October 2010 | Webinar 13.:00 – 14:00 GMTTopic: ‘Science, technology and rural life’ |
| 19 October 2010 | 9.30 am – 4.30pm : POLICY CONFERENCE AT QUEENS HOTEL, CHELTENHAM. |
There will be several prominent key speakers to facilitate stimulating topical debate. Confirmed speakers currently include:
Kate Braithwaite, MBE - Director of the Carnegie Rural Community Development Programme
Sir Donald Curry KB, CBE, FRAgS, Advisor to Government on Sustainable Farming and Food Policy.
Professor Janet Dwyer Professor Rural Policy, CCRI
Professor Brian Ilbery Professor of Rural Studies, CCRI
Dr Matt Lobley – Assistant Director of Centre for Rural Policy Research, University of Exeter
Professor Philip Lowe - Duke of Northumberland Professor of Rural Economy and Director of Rural Economy & Land Use Programme, Centre for Rural Economy, University of Newcastle
Dr Damian Maye Senior Research Fellow, CCRI
Professor Terry Marsden - Professor of Environmental Policy and Planning & Co-director of the Economic and Social Research Councils' Research Centre for Business Relationships, Accountability, Sustainability and Society.
Professor Malcolm Moseley Professor of Rural Community Development, CCRI
Dr Matt Reed Senior Research Fellow, CCRI
Mark Robins - RSPB Regional Policy Officer
Richard Wakeford – Director General, Rural Futures, Scottish Government & Chair, OECD Rural Working Party
The conference fee is £100. You can now book your place online. If you require an invoice, please send email to ccri@glos.ac.uk
Special Offer at Queens Hotel
The Queens Hotel has kindly agreed to reduce the price of accommodation (bed and breakfast) for the night before the Policy conference to £98 (normal price for bed and breakfast is £132). Delegates need to mention that they are attending the CCRI Policy Conference when booking.
If you have any queries regarding this policy conference, please email Matt Reed or the conference administrators
