Maura Hopkins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank everybody for their contributions today. I certainly found them very informative. I met representatives of Teagasc quite a number of times since being elected to the Seanad. Obviously, I am very interested in the implementation of the Commission for the Economic Development of Rural Areas, CEDRA, report.

What implementation has happened so far with regards to the report? Teagasc played an important role in contributing to its development. The focus of what we are discussing today - sustaining viable world communities - is the basis of that report. One of the key recommendations was to appoint a senior Cabinet Minister with responsibility for regional development, which has happened. However, we need to know that positive changes are happening within communities with that bottom-up approach.

I live in a rural area of Roscommon and am involved in my own community. Roscommon County Council has established town teams across the county to work on that bottom-up approach. I attended a meeting last night in Ballaghadereen as part of the town team committee. One of the challenges I have seen, and which Teagasc has also identified, concerns leadership within communities. That bottom-up approach needs leaders and committee members who demonstrate a sense of honesty, solidarity, team-work and focus. How can we have a programme in place to ensure that people within communities are constructive in that approach? I say that as someone who is involved in such a committee myself. Funding for the town and village scheme appears to be working through local authorities and filtering into towns. It is about getting people on board and educating them, but how do we do that in different communities? What is working at the moment in that regard? I am sure that we have many such examples.

The agri-food sector is important for sustaining rural economies. I was at a Teagasc briefing yesterday and it is clear that it plays an important research role, as well as providing an advisory service to deliver research implementation on the ground. Agriculture has moved towards more efficiency which is necessary because farm prices are difficult and farmers are currently operating on tight margins. I was interested in what Teagasc had to say about the development of the food industry. I am currently involved with a group that is trying to develop a food hub to involve added value. I am also interested in the statistics Teagasc cited based on research carried out in 2011, which showed that 63% of farmers were not interested in the development of a diversified enterprise. Have there been changes since then or how can we move towards a more diversified enterprise system?

I attended Irish Rural Link's conference in Athlone which was informative, with a specific focus on agriculture and the public banking sector. Mr. Boland emphasised the rural transport programme, which is a big issue. I live in north Roscommon which is an isolated rural area with an older demographic. Forum Connemara's representatives mentioned people living on their own. Mr. Boland spoke about assessing value for money and while this may not give value in monetary terms, it is important for those using the programme. What sort of assessment is required therefore?