Forces of landscape change
In recent years, Ireland has experienced unprecedented urbanisation and landscape fragmentation due to widespread construction of housing and roads. This has affected open countryside as well as villages and towns in all parts of the country. Artificial areas (residential, industrial, and commercial) increased 20% between 2000 and 2006 (epa, 2008). Just as landscape evolved in the past, it will continue to change in the future with agricultural influences remaining significant.
The agriculture and food industry is Ireland’s largest indigenous sector. It is of major importance to the economic welfare and development of the Nation and central to the socio-economic vitality of rural communities. It accounts for over half of the country’s indigenous exports and almost one- tenth of the economy. The sector is likely to become even more important in the coming years as scientific and market developments find exciting new uses for natural resources and the key dairy sector expands substantially after the European Union (EU) quota system is abolished in 2015.
Teagasc undertook a Foresight exercise designed to establish a broadly- shared vision for the agri-food and rural economy in 2030 (Teagasc, 2008). Agriculture, forestry, the marine and their related processing sectors are on the cusp of profound change so it makes sense to redefine the sector into the broader concept of the bioeconomy, encompassing the traditional agri- food sector and a wide range of novel activities that can now be generated from natural resources. The four pillars of this future bioeconomy, identified by this exercise are food production and processing; value-added food processing; agri-environmental products and services; and energy and bio- processing.