Rural Economy & Development Programme
Our mission is to produce high quality social science research and policy advice to improve the competitiveness and sustainability of the Irish Agri-Food sector and to enhance the quality of life in rural Ireland, thus contributing to the achievement of Teagasc’s key goals of Competitiveness and Innovation in the Agri-Food Sector, Sustainable Systems of Agriculture and Rural Viability. In particular the objective of this programme will be to utilise advanced social science investigation tools to understand the linkages between the various forces affecting the Agri-food and Rural Economy to improve the quality of life in rural Ireland. An important focus is placed on policy relevant research that will help policy makers to design and implement better public policy.
The objectives of the Programme are
- To collect timely, quality information in an efficient manner to support decision making by our stakeholders.
- To undertake research to interpret trends and changes in markets and policy to enable each of our stakeholders to make better decisions.
- To provide advice, training and tools to support our stakeholders in making decisions that enable their business to be more effective.
- To understand who adopts technology, why potentially beneficial technologies are not adopted and how adoption can be increased.
- To provide specific skills to stakeholders to enable them to exploit income generating opportunities both on and off farm.
Programme Structure
The Rural Economy and Development Programme is divided into three Departments