Connection with rural areas

A report by BBC News yesterday said that by 2008 more than half of the world's population will live in cities, most of them in developing countries. This presents a huge challenge for rural communities everywhere as we lose people, key skills and also the immediate link with our customers. In the UK, if you live in a rural area you see how your food is produced every day, the tractors going up and down the roads, the seasons coming and going and this affects your food choices. In rural areas there is also more space to grow your own food. All this is lost as more of the population moves to cities and there is a much greater need for food supply systems to work effectively as there is very little immediate alternative.

The UN report, entitled The State of World Population 2007: Unleashing the Potential of Urban Growth, states that every week the number of people living in cities in Africa and Asia increases by approximately one million. This trend is predicted across the world and the rural community will have to continue to try and raise awareness of its value to the whole population by producing food, fuel and amenity, especially as more and more people lose direct contact.