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Country Crossroads: JERSEY'S heart lies in the countryside.

Centuries of farming have created the rich rural heritage which is central to our understanding of what makes the Island special.

Now that heritage is in danger as the agricultural industry goes through changes which have already seen many farmers giving up long-established family businesses and other industries far outstripping agriculture in economic importance.

The impact goes far beyond mere economics, however. For the first time in generations, there is deep uncertainty about the future of the Jersey countryside and a worrying absence of answers to the question of what is to fill the vacuum left by the decline of traditional farming.

At its simplest, the question boils down to: What will happen to all the redundant farmland? In its wider form, though, it encompasses everything from landscape to cultural identity, from tourism prospects to economic diversity, from the plant and animal environment to the quality of life of everyone who lives in Jersey.

Our countryside is at a crossroads. Decisions taken and policies established now can lead either to a successful new future sympathetically rooted in the traditions of the past or to a disastrous surrender to commercial pressures and short-term expediency.

Country Crossroads, a major Jersey Evening Post campaign, aims to generate a much-needed Islandwide debate on our rural future. Over the coming months, we will highlight the issues and examine new ideas for ensuring that country life in the 21st century can remain pleasant as well as prosperous.

This article updated: 2004/07/15 15:37:44

article © Jersey Evening Post Limited. website © 2004 Guiton Group

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