Rural Scotland People, Prosperity and Partnership
RURAL LIFE
In Scotland, rural policy is about the livelihoods of rural communities, the countryside and the lives of those who live in rural Scotland. While many of them live far from even quite small towns, the influence of the urban population is something which the rural dweller cannot ignore. In contrast, the town person can easily pursue an urban life without giving the countryside or its people a thought. Rural Scotland is sometimes seen by those living in our towns and cities merely as a convenient source of scenery, postcards and recreation, its management confused by the assumption that our countryside is part-museum, part theme park. The vital life blood which sustains our rural communities and through them our countryside and landscape, is a good deal more complex. The rural heartland survives through productivity, diversity and tradition; it thrives on the goods and services it can provide for the wider community, from food, fish and timber to tourism, culture and sports. Presented in this way, it would be easy to regard the rural dweller as the poor relation. In truth, the similarities between life in the town and the country far outweigh the differences. The basic tenets of policy apply equally well to all, differing only in the precise terms of application. In order to develop policies which are of real benefit to rural communities, we need a common perception of rural life and an appreciation of the inter-relationship of policies. This was one of the underlying objectives of Rural Framework. The process begun by Rural Framework has been followed through with a series of documents intended to assist the development of rural policies. These have provided information, explanations of policy or guidance aimed at a wide audience. The first was "Scottish Rural Life: A Socio-Economic Profile of Rural Scotland"5 which offered a picture of the way in which life is lived in Scotland's rural communities.
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