UK Research Councils' Rural Economy and Land Use Programme

Great Land Use Debate

Have your say in the Great Land Use Debate!

What is our rural land for and what do we expect from it?  Should farmers be diversifying into energy crops or concentrating on feeding the nation?  And is it reasonable to expect them to be competitive food businesses as well as managers and guardians of wildlife and landscapes?    When floods overwhelm urban areas should that just be a problem for the individuals and businesses affected?  Or should country dwellers be prepared to sacrifice rural land for flood storage?

Everyone seems to want something different, but can rural land fulfil all of these expectations?  What is our long term vision for land use in the UK and do we need an extension of the planning system from town into countryside in order to realise it?

The UK research councils' Rural Economy and Land Use Programme is inviting you to contribute to a unique on-line debate during National Science and Engineering Week/Festival of Social Science 2008.  The Programme's land use policy analysts will be posing some key questions and drawing in opinion from a wide range of contributors. 

Visit www.relu.ac.uk  from 7-14 March 2008 to have your say.