Commission for the Economic Development of Rural Areas: Research Report

The Commission for the Economic Development of Rural Areas (CEDRA) was established in September 2012 by Minister Phil Hogan and Minister Simon Coveney to investigate the economic potential of rural Ireland. In the current economic downturn unemployment has increased by 192% in rural areas and 114% in urban areas with the effects of this felt more acutely in small and medium sized towns. The substantial off-farm employment gain of the previous 15 years has been wiped out and employment in rural areas remains concentrated in sectors that continue to decline. The primary motivation for the establishment of CEDRA centred on the need to establish a strong evidence base detailing the challenges facing rural communities and make practical recommendations regarding measures to mitigate the effects of the downturn in rural Ireland thereby supporting its full and active participation in the economic recovery process going forward. In the short term the urgency centres on the need to increase the number of employment opportunities with the need to facilitate a structural change involving a focus on higher value added growing sectors a priority for the medium to long term.