Research and Markets: Rural Economy Market Assessment 2009

DUBLIN--(Business Wire)--
Research and Markets
(http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/a276a9/rural_economy_mark) has
announced the addition of the "Rural Economy Market Assessment 2009" report to
their offering.

Farming is the crux of the UK's rural economy, but between the late 1980s and
2007 it was in decline. The total agricultural workforce fell by more than a
quarter, and total value added at current prices dropped by more than a fifth.
The slump was a consequence of globalisation.

By 2008, the UK Government began to attach more importance to the role of the
countryside in providing the UK with a degree of security in food and fuel
supplies, but farmers themselves were finding it difficult or impossible to cope
with higher production costs.

Organic farming made rapid headway in the early 2000s, but in 2008, food
shoppers - whose disposable incomes were under pressure - ended the advance of
organics as they traded down to cheaper alternatives.

Farmers' concerns currently include: EU plans to ban the majority of pesticides
in use; the rising cost and declining availability of livestock feed that is not
genetically modified (GM); and uncertainty as to whether there will be any
financial support from the EU from 2013.

Food security is a controversial subject in the UK, and does not appear to be
regarded as a top priority by the Government, although organisations such as the
Soil Association want more emphasis on domestic food production.

As a member of the EU, the UK cannot unilaterally introduce its own schemes to
promote farming and rural enterprises.

Genetic modification is the most controversial technology in farming.
Agri-corporations expect GM to provide the extra yield to feed approximately 1.7
billion more people by 2033, but undesirable consequences - such as unplanned
gene transfer and recombination, and health problems - have already occurred.

While GM has the potential to accelerate the industrialisation of the
countryside, poor communications infrastructure pulls the opposite way.

The statistic that 99% of the UK population have access to broadband is
misleading. The overall total of fixed-line telephone subscribers who cannot
access broadband (other than satellite) because of the length of their telephone
line may be around 5%, heavily weighted towards country locations. Rural
businesses that are unable to upgrade their communications are at a growing
disadvantage trying to compete with businesses that have access to current
technology. The closure of rural post offices compounds these problems. The
attractions of rural areas for home working and micro-businesses are in danger
of being outweighed by the drawbacks of patchy and non-existent communications
services, lack of capital and the widespread absence of public transport, which
enforces reliance on private cars.

With regard to land-based industries, forests create very few jobs, and if they
are to contribute more to rural employment, timber processing needs to increase.
The slump in housebuilding in 2008 is likely to reduce import demand in 2008 and
2009, restricting opportunities for new timber processing. Biofuel crops compete
for space with food crops and use up large quantities of energy in their
production and manufacture. The use of crop wastes, rather than the crops
themselves, for fuel is promising. Biofuel production will inevitably create
thousands of jobs between 2008 and 2018. The UK does have the advantage of windy
weather conditions, but onshore wind farms offer little employment, although
they will have an essential role in future electricity generation. The racing
industry has considerable impact on the rural economy in areas around
racecourses and large training stables. The industry is endeavouring to continue
growing at a time of low overall economic expansion.

Key Topics Covered:

* Executive Summary
* 1. Introduction
* 2. Strategic Overview
* 3. Farming at a Crossroads 23
* 4. Land-Based Industries
* 5. Rural Tourism
* 6. Urban Relocations and Home Working
* 7. Promotion Issues
* 8. An International Perspective
* 9. PEST Analysis
* 10. Consumer Dynamics
* 11. Company Profiles
* 12. The Future
* 13. Glossary
* 14. Further Sources

For more information visit
http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/a276a9/rural_economy_mark

Laura Wood
Senior Manager
press@researchandmarkets.com
Fax from USA: 646-607-1907
Fax from rest of the world: +353-1-481-1716

Copyright Business Wire 2009