A conference dealing with how agriculture can create jobs in rural areas takes place in Co Waterford on Monday.
The event has been organised by Dunhill Rural Enterprises in association with Waterford County Council and the Irish Institute at Boston College.
The line-up of speakers has been assembled with a view to formulating a response to the challenge of rural economic development in a difficult economic climate.
Scott Daugherty, the commissioner for small business for the state of North Carolina, will be highlighting how a rural economy has reinvented itself as one of the leading entrepreneurial areas in the US.
Other speakers will put forward the views of the Department of Agriculture and the Irish Farmers’ Association, while Suzanne O’Brien from Mayo’s Gourmet Greenway will speak on how local food businesses can capitalise on local recreational facilities.
