Challenges of Rural Areas

• Rural areas face two main issues:

  • Availability 

  • Affordability 

Availability

• In rural areas there may be a lack of:

  • Housing

  • Services 

  • Jobs

  • Labour

Affordability

• Costs of some things are higher due to accessibility and demand including:

  • Houses

  • Transport

• Less accessible rural areas face challenges due to: 

  • Depopulation

  • Tourism

  • Counter-urbanisation

• In the UK 19% of people live in rural areas

• Rural areas are defined as areas with a population of less than 10,000

Housing

• In many rural areas there has been an increase in second homes and holiday homes

• Increasing numbers of people retiring or moving to rural areas and commuting or homeworking

  • The increased pressure on housing has led to increased prices which locals cannot afford

• Affordable housing is often substandard as they tend to be older properties which may lack heating or be damp

Employment

• In many rural areas primary employment has decreased due to:

  • Mechanisation which means not as many workers are needed in farming, forestry and mining

  • Cheaper imports which reduce the demand for primary resources

• Primary industry declines further as:

  • The younger generation chooses better paid jobs 

  • Over 33% of farm owners are over 65 and near retirement age

Healthcare, education and services

• Many areas have no Doctor's surgery or have limited opening times

• The nearest hospital may be a number of hours away as smaller hospitals have closed

• Bus routes have been reduced and many rural areas have no service for others it may only be a couple of buses a week

• Primary schools have closed due to low numbers meaning children have to travel long distances for school and college

• These challenges can lead to a negative multiplier effect

Negative multiplier effect in rural areas

Quality of Life

• Quality of Life can be assessed using the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD)

  • Uses a variety of indicators to indicate how deprived an area is including:

    • Education

    • Health

    • Housing

    • Crime

    • Income

    • Employment

    • Environment

• Although crime rates tend to be lower and the environment more pleasant that does not mean everyone's quality of life is high

• Different groups are affected in a variety of ways

Young people

• Have to travel long distances to school/college

• Limited job opportunities

• Low wages

• Lack of affordable housing

• Lack of facilities and entertainment

Elderly

• Lack of public transport affects their ability to get around

• Often need healthcare more frequently and may have to travel long distances to access it

• Feel isolated

Exam Tip

When writing about rural areas in the exam it is important to remember that not all rural areas are the same. There are differences between:

• Accessible rural areas: these are areas within commuting distance of cities and are experiencing increasing counter-urbanisation as families and retirees move out of the urban areas

• Remote rural areas: these are areas which are less accessible and many are experiencing depopulation. Some like Cornwall and the Lake District are also affected by high levels of tourism and second homes/holiday homes

Opportunities in Rural Areas

• In the UK farming now only creates 1% of the GDP

• Overall farming is becoming less profitable. This has led to:

  • Diversification

  • Methods of raising productivity and profits

• There are many different ways of diversifying

Diversification in rural areas

Recreation and Leisure

• Many of the ways of diversifying are linked to recreation and leisure

• People in developed countries have more time and disposable income 

• Visiting rural areas in leisure time for activities is increasingly popular

• Leisure activities linked to this on farms include:

  • Horse riding

  • Alpaca walking

  • Hunting and shooting

  • Off roading

  • Mountain biking

• Farms often provide the accommodation as well with barns and outbuildings converted to holiday cottages and fields used as camping/caravan sites

Environmental impacts

• Many types of diversifications have significant impacts on the environment

• Off roading and mountain biking lead to soil erosion and habitat destruction

• Renewable energy is controversial for a number of reasons:

  • Visual impact in areas of natural beauty

  • Uses land which could be used for farming 

  • Noise of wind turbines

• Increase in tourists leads to more traffic (most people travel by car) and congestion

• Traffic also leads to air pollution

• Increased litter 

• Barn and outbuilding conversions have reduced nesting sites for birds

• Increased water sports and boating on lakes cause erosion of lake banks which are valuable wildlife habitats