Rural Development and Rural Policy

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) has responsibility for rural development and rural policy in Northern Ireland. These responsibilities include the management and implementation of the Rural Development Programme, the development of the Rural White Paper Action Plan, rural proofing and the promotion of integrated rural policy making across government.

DARD acts as the managing authority for the Rural Development Programme in Northern Ireland and is responsible for its implementation. The Rural Development Programme is jointly funded through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and DARD.

Growing Opportunities Together is a dedicated website on the Rural Development Programme which provides information on grants available under the programme and how to apply.  Further information can be found on the following link

The Niamh Louise Foundation Charitable Trust aims to implement the 'Protect Life Strategy for Northern Ireland' at ground level in local communities to reduce the number of people taking their own lives in Northern Ireland.  They initiated two reports into mental health:

'Breaking the Silence in Rural Areas' by Jason Donaghy Consulting and supported by SWARD (South West Action for Rural Development) aims to examine the issues of rural mental health, stigma and services within the 4 constituent district council areas of the SWARD region.  
The second report by Holywell Consultancy Ltd and supported by SOAR (Southern Organisation for Action in Rural Areas) aims to build increased awareness and understanding around the needs of rural residents requiring help and support on mental health, self-harm and suicide related issues

These reports can be accessed by clicking on the following link:

The Rural White Paper Action Plan is the outcome of an Executive initiative led by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development which aims to identify and address the key issues and challenges facing rural areas. More information on the Rural White Paper Action Plan is available as follows

The Department promotes the implementation of rural proofing across all government Departments in Northern Ireland. More information on rural proofing is available at the following link

The Tackling Rural Poverty and Social Isolation framework aims to help the most vulnerable rural dwellers facing poverty and isolation. The framework supports a package of measures worth up to £16 million to support vulnerable people in rural communities and target the root causes of social isolation.

The framework outlines the priority areas for government to target and mitigate against the impact of rural poverty and social isolation. It also sets out an action plan of activities that DARD will lead on that will help address rural poverty and isolation that include supporting the vulnerable, developing and introducing new initiatives and reacting to needs.

The framework, which was launched in February 2012, is available at the following link.