Rural Exchange call for views

The Rural Exchange provides a platform for people living and working across Scotland's rural and island communities to have their voices heard in both research and policy-making and to access pertinent research reports and data.

The platform is funded through ‘Theme E – Rural Futures’ of Scottish Government's 2022-2027 Strategic Research Programme for the environment, natural resources and agriculture and is hosted and delivered through SRUC.

The Rural Exchange acts as a knowledge exchange hub for a number of projects funded by the Scottish Government's 2022-2027 Strategic Research Programme for the environment, natural resources and agriculture. 

The Exchange currently has five main projects, covering a ranging of activities and research fields:

• Novel Insights on Scotland’s Rural and Island Economies (NISRIE)
• Scottish Land Insights
• Reimagined policy futures: Shaping sustainable, inclusive and just rural and island communities in Scotland (ReRIC)
• Rural lens
• Island Agriculture

Currently, they are actively seeking views and insights from rural and island communities to inform work on ‘Rural and Island Communities: Places of Opportunity’ (links and QR codes at the bottom of the page to access survey).

Recent work that the Exchange has support includes the recently published report: Rural and Agricultural Development: Maximising the potential in the islands of Orkney, Shetland and Outer Hebrides and research into ‘Barriers to Childcare in Rural Areas’.

Today Rural Exchange launched a new Insights Series for the Rural Policy Centre (RPC). This series of reports gives RPC staff, visitors and collaborators an opportunity to publish insights from their own research and lived experiences which may not be associated with other projects (details here)

You can take the survey for Rural and Island Communities: Places of Opportunity via this link or by scanning the below QR code.

To find out more about the Rural Exchange access their website here