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2001-04-01
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Leavy, A., The Socio-economic Sustainability of Rural Areas in Ireland, End of Project Reports, Teagsc, 2001.
Abstract
Over the period 1971 to 1996 District Electoral Divisions (DEDs) with the
highest rate of decline in population and employment tended to be most
widespread in western and north-western counties.In these DEDs average
population declined by 19 per cent and average employment by 24 per cent.
• Average population increased by 65 per cent and employment increased by
77 per cent in DEDs close to large urban centres.Ap proximately 90 per cent
of the increase in both population and employment occurred in these areas.
• Leitrim (73 per cent) and Cavan (67 per cent) had the highest proportion of
District Electoral Divisions (DEDs) that lost both population and employment
in the 1971-1996 period.The counties of Kildare (7 per cent) and Wexford
(11 per cent) had the lowest proportion of DEDs losing both population and
employment.
• Approximately half of DEDs in the Objective 1 region (west, midlands and
border region) lost both population and employment in the 1971-96 period.
• In the most recent five year inter-census period (1991-96), while population
declined in 60 per cent of DEDs, only 20 per cent of DEDs lost employment.
However, 100 per cent of population growth and 90 per cent of employment
growth occurred in peri-urban areas in the 1991-96 period.
• Areas with the most serious history of decline were classified into: (a) Farm
Dependent situated in all areas of the country but remote from urban areas,
(b) Low Density populated areas situated mainly in inland areas of the west
and north-west, and (c) Peripheral areas situated mainly in the coastal
regions of the west and north-west.
• Optimum use of resources (principally land and labour) in areas with a
history of long term decline could result in increases in gross revenue of 25 to
45 per cent.T he principal changes in resource use involve increases in off
farm employment opportunities, participation by farmers in extensification
and REPS programmes and the reallocation of land classified as rough
grazing to forestry.
• The challenge facing the various agencies involved in rural development is to
ensure that development is widely spread to areas that have formerly
suffered considerable decline.