What is the Scottish Rural Development Programme?

‘What is the Scottish Rural Development Programme?’

That was the question the Scottish Rural Network was trying to answer for a busy tent of guests on Thursday at this year’s Royal Highland Show.

Over coffee and a bacon roll the first showing of a new short animation helped outline the basic premise and showed the broad range of areas supported by the £1 billion Scottish Government Programme. Enhancing the rural economy; supporting rural businesses and communities; protecting the natural environment; and addressing climate change were all highlighted and Scottish Rural Network staff were on hand to explain and answer questions about the opportunities available.

The breakfast session was also a chance for attendees to air their views about the challenges and opportunities facing Scotland’s rural enterprises. With innovation being a clear priority for the new Scottish Government, the Scottish Rural Network asked guests for their ideas on how the Scottish Rural Network could help rural enterprises on their way to becoming more innovative and how businesses could be encouraged to exploit the potential of new and diverse products and markets.

A wide range of individuals and organisations gave their views and it is hoped that the Scottish Rural Network will be able to use the suggestions as part of their work over the coming year.

You can watch the new animation below and find out more about the Scottish Rural Development Programme. 

The Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP) from ScottishRuralNetwork on Vimeo.