Our Vision
The Vision of the 'Changing Landscapes, Changing Landscapes' Delivery Plan is ... a South West region that will have ‘a distinctive and sustainable farming and food industry which is profitable and supports viable livelihoods, underpins healthier local communities and enhances the environmental assets that are vital to the region’s prosperity.’
'Crunch Issues'
A profitable and sustainable farming and food sector is at the heart of a healthy rural economy and living countryside.
- Increasing regional opportunities in terms of food, timber and renewable energy
- Retaining a flourising livestock industry in the region
- Helping farmers seize realistic opportunities to diversify and make their businesses more resilient
- Responding to climate change in what is produced, but also in limiting our impact as far as possible
- Managing the landscape and the environment so that it remains a key asset of the region
- Ensuring succession through the introduction of younger people into the farming and food sectors
Key Sectors
Key sectors in respect of this Plan are;
Food and Drink
Agriculture
Renewables and Non Food Crops
Forestry
Tourism
All have direct synergies with the South West Regional Implementation Plan, with Tourism acknowledged as a priority area/investment theme.
Farming contributes around 2.5% of the market value of goods and services produced in the South West. Food and drink contributes a further 2.6%, woodland and forestry 0.9% and rural tourism another 8.8%. Together these industries currently contribute £8.5 billion to the regional economy, but CAP reform may have a profound effect on the balance of that contribution from 2005. For instance, farmers will have to decide whether they can make a living rearing and growing raw materials; where they cannot, the rest of the food chain will have to source them elsewhere, and the farmers will face the prospect of developing different income streams.
Others in the wider group of land-based businesses, which includes forestry and woodland management, non-food crops, sporting shooting and fishing, may also have to be more innovative and enterprising in order to sustain their businesses and their livelihoods. They will certainly have to do things differently or to do different things with their land, labour, equipment, capital, skills and knowledge.
Drivers for Change
Areas that are driving change have been identified as;
Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Reform
Global Impacts
Climate Change
Sustainable Development
Changing Consumer Trends
These directly relate to either ‘drivers’ or ‘threats and opportunities’ identified in the South West Regional Implementation Plan.
Last updated 02Apr08