Sarah Palmer – NFYFC
Welcome to our special guest post for Rural Housing Week 2023! Today, we’re privileged to have Sarah Palmer, a leading voice in rural community advocacy and the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs (NFYFC) AGRI Manager, share her insights. Drawing from the frontline experiences of young farmers and recent research findings, Sarah provides a compelling account of the unique housing and connectivity challenges faced in rural communities. Her passion for a vibrant, sustainable countryside is evident throughout this must-read piece. So, without further ado, let’s delve into Sarah’s enlightening perspective on overcoming these obstacles to shape a more promising rural future.
The National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs (NFYFC) heads a nationwide body of 598 Young Farmers’ Clubs (YFCs) located throughout England and Wales dedicated to supporting young people in agriculture and the countryside. Their memberships comprise over 24,000 members. NFYFC represents a diverse group of people who share an interest in a vibrant and sustainable countryside and collaborates with many organisations and has enjoyed a long-standing working relationship with English Rural.
If there’s one thing that doesn’t seem to change for young farmers as detailed in NFYFC’s latest research findings, ‘Route to Success’, it’s the knotty problem of available finance and land for new entrants’ businesses. Sadly, access to affordable rural housing for all who live and work in the countryside is still an issue too.
NFYFC’s 2020-21 Covid 19 and Post Brexit Rural Future research highlighted that young people want to have a stake in the countryside and care about the community where they live, but 65% felt there wasn’t enough housing for young people and 64% didn’t have the resources to buy a property. The 2022 Future Land Use survey found future policy priorities for land management were: food security, balancing environmental and food production costs and the opportunity for respondents to both live and work in the countryside.
The latest Rural Services Network (RSN) survey further highlighted financial challenges faced by rural residents during this time of inflation and increased cost of living. Many rural dwellers incur further costs for non-mains fuel requirements and transport.
NFYFC Members
English Rural enabled the plight of rural young people’s issues to be raised at a gathering of high-level representatives from the affordable rural housing sector and rural groups last year. Thankfully, the meeting highlighted an awareness and consensus that more needed to be done at both policy and practical levels to provide more affordable housing in rural communities. Research had shown rural communities’ need for levelling up was greater than other regions and government spent 44% more per person in urban areas.
Time then for some much-needed recognition, support and innovation to enhance the crucial part that rural plays in current and future sustainability. Hats off to the persistence of so many membership and lobbying organisations who keep the flag flying for a better rural deal.
The government’s recently published ‘Unleashing Rural Opportunity’ policy paper was a welcome addition to a range of rural policy activity during this time of agricultural transition, and hot on the heels of the No 10 Farm to Fork Summit which pledged understanding and support for British food and farming industries.
For years, housing and connectivity have been raised in NFYFC consultation responses on behalf of young, rural people as issues that need to be addressed to help provide rural sustainability and business growth. Despite an initial lag on focus and an external conflict to heighten awareness, rural communities now hold a much larger key for unlocking the solutions needed for environmental and food sustainability.
The uncertainty of business planning has been painful despite the best intentions of the co-design process. It’s an ongoing and long journey that has, in all fairness, been a listening and re-calibration process. Laudable collaboration, trials and testing have meant that necessary policy tweaks were made when input and energy prices rocketed, and food security became perhaps a little less secure. Cutting red tape and providing a more level playing field for rural businesses to grow, to enable young people to make a start or rural entrepreneurs to thrive, seems a fair ambition.
The rural community encompasses all key workers within the public or private sector who play an integral part in what should be a thriving sector. News of the levelling up plans with themes of housing, communities, connectivity, and growth will be music to many ears.
For those producing food as well as sustaining the environment whilst grappling with new schemes and a business and culture shift, intricate (and sometimes incomprehensible) planning difficulties for practical housing solutions can be beyond the pale. It’s also expensive, time-consuming and can be deeply frustrating. It’s not a climate to encourage the younger generation to develop their own businesses or succeed in a family enterprise. People on the ground are essential to help deliver policy aims in a practical way.
If you’ve been around long enough, you may remember the housing enablers of policy past. When the housing enablers’ role was featured within an NFYFC magazine article many, many years ago, even parents got in touch to find out more. And herein lies the problem. Great new policy plans, but is there enough time to implement and communicate the news effectively? It’s both disheartening and heartening that the housing enablers are back, although no doubt with a slightly different remit. Let’s hope the next cohort have enough grit to cut through some deeply frustrating problems for those who can see solutions to problems and not add to them. Administrations and policy come and go, but the end-users’ issues remain the same if there isn’t continuation and consistency. Change for change’s sake can unravel progress, so let’s hope there’s time for the age-old ‘rural challenges’ to get the attention and support they deserve and for the enablers to get stuck in.
If you have a part to play in the rural arena, whether you’re a key worker in a school or doctor’s surgery or want to bring up your family in a rural environment, or you’re starting a business that’s going to provide local jobs, you need the same housing and connectivity opportunities enjoyed by your urban cousins. Life and business can be hard enough without the curve ball of increased satellite connectivity costs or unavailable, affordable housing.
We can only hope that existing and future talent, next generation initiatives and entrepreneurship are given a fair chance and opportunities to thrive in rural communities. The much-needed policy intervention is welcome, but let’s also hope there’s enough time or future will to continue to implement parity and make the much-needed difference.
Web accessibility statement © English Rural Housing Association. All rights reserved. Web design and development by Nvisage
