A two-speed rural economy is emerging, the National Rural Development Conference was told yesterday.
Dr Edgar Morgenroth of the Economic and Social Research Institute said numbers working on the land would continue to decline.
He told the Athlone event that regions with strong commercial farming would continue to hold their own or increase in vibrancy, while other areas not suited to this would decline. “In these areas, other employment will be important. However, the scope for generating employment is limited due to structural deficits such as high average age, low population, relative remoteness and poor urban structure,” he said.