It is obviously too early to analyse what impact Covid-19, along with the social distancing measures to combat it, will have on the Welsh rural economy.
Nevertheless, the impact on rural Carmarthenshire over the coming decade as well as the factors allowing the local population to rebound through entrepreneurial endeavour are not exclusively to be found within the boundaries of the county and are as relevant no matter what part of rural Wales you live.
The project team therefore met in response to the Covid-19 situation with Rural Network Wales representatives (independent network of organisations and individuals seeking to promote key rural economic priorities) to discuss how significant added capacity and insight could be delivered through further collaboration in response to Covid-19’s impact on rural communities across Wales.
Over the coming months the Arsyllfa team will therefore be working with Rural Network Wales partners to:
- Assist in the dissemination of rural ideas that would assist in analysing and promoting an entrepreneurial culture
- Provide an enhanced co-ordinating role for the network in order to facilitate knowledge transfer across rural communities that stand to benefit collectively from this work (crucially pinpointing knowledge transfer into Carmarthenshire from similar rural areas in other parts of Wales as well as further afield)
- Provide an online forum to air innovative ideas and views on policy areas which are the backbone of the body politic of rural Wales – from key sectors such as agri-food through to the role of the Welsh language (this will manifest itself in an online hub later in 2020 that will assist in further facilitating rural policy discussion)
For further information about our plans to support Rural Network Wales over 2020 and beyond please contact us at arsyllfa@four.cymru
