What we do
We combine research, policy advice and hands-on projects. We publish policy analysis and formal responses, brief policymakers, host the FERNCast podcast and support ventures that bring jobs and income to rural areas.
Our work draws on comparisons from across Europe, Asia and North America, from Finland’s rural policy programme to South Korea’s response to population decline, because many of the answers to rural decline in Britain are already being tested elsewhere.
Our priorities
- Publish independent research and responses on rural policy in the UK and Ireland.
- Bring international lessons on rural revival to British policymakers.
- Give rural voices a platform through FERNCast.
- Incubate and support projects that create rural jobs and income, including Emerging Travel, English Agritourism and Inaka Labs.
Who we work with
Our stakeholders include local rural networks, rural entrepreneurs, academics and journalists, local action groups, local and regional councils, and agricultural and rural researchers. Partners include the Canadian Rural Development Foundation (CRDF).