Maura Farrell: RERC, NUIG Supervisors: Dr. John McDonagh, NUIG Aine Macken Walsh, RERC

1. Rural Restructuring and Agricultural Change– Determining the Role of the Irish Extension Advisory Services, with specific reference to the ‘Options for Farm Families Programme’ Maura Farrell: RERC, NUIG Supervisors: Dr. John McDonagh, NUIG Aine Macken Walsh, RERC

2. Overview • Research Context • Methodology • Key Concepts • Objectives

3. Research Context Rural Restructuring • Rural Areas as spaces of change Agricultural Restructuring “Farming is Changing” • Result: ‘Options for Farm Families Programme’ Research question: To analyse the forces that influence change within the Irish agricultural community using a case study of those who have and those who have not availed of the ‘Options for Farm Families Programme’

4. Methodology Theoretical Approach • Realism - ‘Building Blocks’ Methodological Approach • A combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods

5. 1. The Additional section of the National Farm Survey • Comparative analysis • 1200 participants • Conducted throughout Ireland • 2. A detailed survey will be carried out among programme participants, advisers and programme managers • Data; Teagasc Client Information Management System • Questionnaires, interviews and case studies

6. Key Concepts • Rural restructuring • Agricultural change • Productivism, post-productivism and Multifunctionality • Extension Advisory Services

7. Rural Restructuring Defining the Rural The dominant approach in rural studies today ‘Rurality’ as a ‘social construct’ meaning that academics no longer try to draw precise boundaries around rural areas Try to understand how particular places, objects, traditions, practices and people come to be identified as ‘rural’ and the difference that this makes to how people live their everyday lives (Woods, 2005).

8. Rural Restructuring • Contemporary rural change • Is distinctive because of its intensity, persistence and totality, (Woods, 2005). • ‘Rural Restructuring’ • Rural restructuring refers to the fundamental changes to rural social life and rural social institutions (Marsden, Lowe and Whatmore 1990)

9. Agricultural Change • Agricultural Change • A major component of rural restructuring • The fundamental transformation of agriculture. • Agriculture was once the most durable emblem of Irish rural society.

10. Forces of Change within Irish Agriculture • Common Agricultural Policy and Reforms, shift to Rural Policy • Shift from productivism to a post-productivism • The notion of multifunctional agricultural

11. The Teagasc Extension Advisory Services • Extension Advisory Services Organisations and individuals that provide information, advice and consultancy services to farmers and their families on all aspects of farming and rural development (Adams, 2001). • The Teagasc Advisory Service • In contact with over 80,000 farmers.. • Development of the ‘Options for Farm Families Programme’..

12. The ‘Options for Farm Families Programme’

13. Options Programme Objective: • To help farm families generate additional household income and improve their quality of life. • To examine future options both on-farm and off-farm. • To date over 12,000 participants • Evaluated in the past by Dr. Pat Bogue

14. Objectives • To examine rural restructuring within Irish Society • To analyse the forces that are informing, facilitating and encouraging change within the Irish agricultural community; and in view of this • To use the ‘Options for Farm Families Programme’ as a vehicle of exploration in assessing this change and indeed in determining the role of such a programme in presenting ‘options’ to farm families in Ireland in the future years.

15. Thank You for Listening