Rural areas and their importance – today and tomorrow

Date:

22.01.09 01:00 PM

Location:

Berlin

Speaker:

Federal Minister Ilse Aigner

Check against delivery!

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The focus is once again on rural areas!

This is one of the key messages at Green Week. After all rural regions offer the essential, sustainable and innovative foundation for securing the supply of energy and food. This is a good perspective for the economy and employment opportunities.

At the "Second Future Forum for Rural Development" we wish to discuss the problems and opportunities of rural areas and look for creative solutions. In Roman cities the forum was the central arena for public life and the shaping of public opinion. Today, we wish to offer and use a democratic forum of this kind for a public exchange on attitudes and arguments.

Against this backdrop I would like to examine the following questions:

• What is my approach to the development of rural areas?
• Which challenges must we rise to in Germany?
• What problems of the international community will confront us?

Please let me begin with my approach to the development of rural areas.

Anyone who walks round the exhibition halls will, like me, be impressed by the immense achievements of rural regions. What is the secret to their success? It is the interaction between highly productive companies, skilled rural workers and the use of high technologies. They are just some of the contributory factors to the major structural changes in rural areas. Modernity is at home there too. There are also the regional specificities and region-specific developments.

Many people often have a completely different image of rural areas. As confirmed by surveys of the Allensbach Institute, the prevailing ideas are of idyllic small farms and villages – straight out of children's picture books. Roughly half of the population thinks like that. That means: the structural changes in rural areas including the modern work and economic forms have not been perceived enough by broad echelons of our population.

So we will have to do something to ensure that the work and production structures in rural areas are seen as they really are by the public at large. Our common goal must be for rural areas to be more closely linked in the public awareness with

• modernity,
• progress,
• a willingness to engage in innovation.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
My idea of a modern policy for rural areas is based on a realistic picture. This includes a holistic approach combining work and living environments. They support one another. Competitive companies lead to competitive jobs. That's one side of the coin. The other: companies need a stabilising social environment. There is a whole raft of other factors that contribute to the attractiveness of rural regions and, by extension, support the economy. They include:

• a comprehensive infrastructure,
• efficient provision of vital services,
• easily accessible kindergartens and schools,
• reliable social institutions and
• a good cultural offering.

An integrated policy for rural areas of this kind makes them attractive in the long-term both for companies and employees, and gives them a future-centric orientation. An aside: this corresponds to the implementation of the fundamental principle of equality of living conditions anchored in the German Basic Law.

A holistic approach means, for instance, promoting renewable resources. This leads to major technical progress in the use of biomass. The corresponding supply of villages with electricity and heat leads to modern structural changes in rural regions. The creation of networks by companies is another important factor. This helps to carve out a common profile of the region. Regional competition has a stimulating effect on economic development.

This holistic approach can be easily summed up. There are 10 headings which you should remember – the so-called "ten commandments". Modern rural areas are:

• integrated,
• reality-based,
• differentiated,
• decentralised,
• diverse,
• multi-functional,
• efficient,
• sustainable,
• international and
• worth living in.

Hence rural areas are for me a homeland with a future. Anything that has proved its worth should be strengthened, innovations should be facilitated.

This brings me to my second question: What challenges must we rise to in Germany? From the array of challenges for rural areas I would like to pick out "globalisation", "demographic developments" and "social cohesion". All three are important political and economic areas.

Globalisation has long since moved into rural areas. Competition on the globally interwoven markets dictates economic and daily life there, too. My goal is to promote a rural economy that can compete on both the national and international levels. Things are by no means as bad as is often claimed: most of the small and medium-sized global market leaders, the "hidden champions", come from rural areas!

The largest projected growth potential for rural economic regions is in the services sector, research and development.
The qualification of employees is, therefore, an important factor for the future of rural areas. This also includes support for innovation, a modern infrastructure and the dismantling of red tape.

What also applies to rural regions is: you can only survive in a globalised world with modern communication technologies. On the initiative of my Ministry nationwide broadband supply has become a priority for the Federal Government. In three years time each household in Germany should have access to rapid Internet.

We contribute through our support for the Joint Task for the Improvement of Agricultural Structure although we are also negotiating more far-reaching options. Good, reliable framework conditions are needed to develop the economic clout and quality of life in rural areas. In this context, conurbations have different problems from large Länder, high yield regions different ones from structurally weak, peripheral regions. We need customised solutions for their further development.

Demographic developments are another challenge. We all know the reason: fewer births, higher life expectancy. The number of over 80-year-olds will increase by 70 percent up to 2025. One in 12 people will be a senior citizen. At the same time, the birth rate is entrenched on a low level. What will the consequences be? Further concentration processes in the conurbations – empty, decaying villages in the rural areas? Are young people going to flock to find jobs in the cities, will rural areas become the nation’s old people’s homes?

At the moment these are just terrifying scenarios. But the battle of many parents to keep schools in rural areas is an early sign. If we want to avoid negative developments and rather develop economically strong rural areas, then we have to take timely corrective action.

This includes the development of a modern social infrastructure specifically for rural areas. Mobile doctors’ surgeries, portal clinics or integrated health centres are interesting approaches. Greater importance must be attached to increasing the medical and social services available to elderly people who live in the country. This is important because once people reach retirement age they frequently move back to the country.

The inadequate medical care in rural areas is another important point. It is not just patients but doctors who are steadily aging. In 2006 20 percent of GPs and 15 percent of specialists were 60 years of age or older. The latest health reform of the Federal Government has introduced initial incentives for improved medical care in rural areas.

We can counteract demographic developments and the consequences of the rural exodus through greater family friendliness and improved training offerings. Families need a friendly environment with day nurseries and kindergarten, easily accessible schools and family-friendly enterprises. Companies are called on here to do more as well.

But the local communities must ensure there is a good and that means innovative school offering, too. The number of pupils will drop dramatically over the next 15 years. Nothing would be worse than if, for cost-saving reasons, drastic measures were to be taken in rural regions. This is what strips rural regions of their potential for the future. The closing of a school has knock-on effects.

Rural exodus often begins with empty classrooms. Hence we should see demographic developments as an opportunity for innovative solutions tailored to the respective rural area. By means of cooperation between local communities we can effectively pool resources.

This also applies to mobility in rural areas. An industrial park can be very well designated – but if it is difficult to reach then the dreams of an economic upswing rapidly fade. Many workers are dependent on a good transport infrastructure to reach their workplace. This encompasses both roads and railways. People who live in the country and work in town, particularly in conurbations are affected most.

Hence I welcome the topping up of regionalisation funds for public transport agreed between the Federal Government and Länder. I will also make every effort to ensure that sufficient resources are invested in the rail network in rural areas and that there is fair competition between rail companies.

This also includes social cohesion in villages and small towns. In rural areas people do not lead as anonymous and individual lives as people in cities. Quality of life is crafted through stronger social cohesion. Mutual help is often more developed. The family, association and village community continue to play an important role as does interaction between the generations. People know their neighbours not just from the names on the doors but from shared experiences. This turns a home into more than just an address.

Everything that is part and parcel of rural quality of life also benefits companies in the region. And they, in turn, contribute through their social commitment to the further development of rural areas.

This civic commitment is nurtured not just by companies but also by many younger and older people particularly in rural areas. This is what helps not only rural culture but also the fire brigade, Red Cross or technical support services to survive. I am thinking here of the diverse contributions of rural women. Every year 4.6 billion hours of voluntary service are chalked up. This is how subsidiarity is translated into future perspectives.

This brings me to my third question: What problems of the international community will confront us? Globalisation can be seen as the process of the emergence of the international community. Nation state policies are gradually being replaced by world domestic policy. Global governance, global understanding and cooperation on joint global problems are becoming increasingly necessary. This has been clearly demonstrated by global terrorism or the most recent global financial and banking crisis.

Human intervention in the environment has also increased for the purposes of economic prosperity. New global risks are the consequence. I could mention climate change, security of energy supply and global food. Climate change directly impacts agricultural and forestry production and, by extension, rural areas. Adjustment strategies must be developed already today. Climate change is one of the most difficult problems to combat. We will have to take action today, the consequences of which will only be felt in several decades or even centuries. It's not easy to put across that message. Contemporary interests frequently take precedence over future interests.

But if we do not energetically combat anthropogenic climate change, we will scarcely be in a position to control the consequences. Ranging from inundation down to famine, from floods of refugees down to climate wars – the consequences for regional areas will be devastating.

We must counteract the risks to the energy supply of rural areas in a timely manner, too. As an industrial nation we will continue to be dependent on energy feedstocks as we move into a knowledge society. Energy feedstocks are now being distributed around the world. This creates dependencies. The recent gas dispute brought this home yet again.

Renewable energies can make an important contribution to the desired energy mix and to reducing dependencies on foreign countries. Here, too, the focus is on rural areas. Farmland becomes energy fields.

In Germany in 2008 17 percent of agricultural land was used to grow renewable resources, mainly energy corps. This corresponds to 2 million hectares. Experts estimate that we can cultivate up to 5 million hectares of energy crops without competing with food production. Furthermore, we are focusing on second and third generations which will enable us to use state-of-the-art technologies to turn the entire biomass into electricity and heat. In many ways this will provide a major development stimulus for rural areas. Not just in Germany but also in Europe and many other countries. Renewable resources create new jobs and strengthen regional economic clout in many places.

The role of agriculture is more important than ever when it comes to ensuring global food supply. Increasing productivity, efficiency and state-of-the-art technologies are essential here together with lower resource consumption. After all the global population will reach 9 billion people in just a few decades. This throws up a major challenge for the production of food, particularly as fertile agricultural land is becoming increasingly scarce.

Already now almost one billion people are going hungry. We shouldn't ignore that. The right to food is one of the basic human rights. We must, therefore, considerably increase the productivity of the world agricultural industry. This includes making more resources available for research and development. In order to produce sufficient food we must upgrade rural areas in particular – across the globe.

Unfortunately the opposite is the case at the present time. Every week one million people flock to the mega cities in the newly industrialised and developing countries. Already now more people live in cities than in the country. Uncultivated farmland and a lack of production are the consequences. In response to this situation the 1st World Summit of Agricultural Ministers, which took place on my initiative on Saturday, clearly called for "a strengthening of rural areas". For the battle against hunger both the traditional and innovative powers of the rural areas are needed. This will also help to stem the rural exodus. Regional supply "on-site" helps to create regional economic cycles.

Climate change, energy security, global food supply – the three major problems of the global world are also our problems. After all we are affected by them and we are a part of the international community. The blue planet lies in our hands. We bear responsibility for how we handle it. Let us develop rural areas around the world, let us - at the same time - work together on a common future!

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Please allow me to conclude by saying that Germany needs strong rural regions - regions with power and courage, with a sense for the proven and the new, with the ability to reinvent themselves. The economy and work opportunities are the basis for growth in rural areas. This includes an intact, attractive living environment. An integrated policy takes up both elements.

I am convinced: the future is growing in rural areas. This requires commitment, engagement and motivation. To achieve a goal you need enthusiasm. "Enthusiasm is the most beautiful word on earth" – according to Christian Morgenstern.

So I wish us all a great deal of enthusiasm

• for the discussions today,
• for the concrete work on-site,
• for the common goal and that means:

Rural areas should be centre stage!