Rural crime and rural isolation remain the key issues facing communities in Ireland.
That’s according to a recent survey of Macra na Feirme members.
25 percent of members surveyed identified rural crime as the biggest issue facing communities, while for 20 percent of members it was rural isolation.
The results of the survey come as Macra na Feirme launches its biggest annual community initiative for 2018, Know Your Neighbour.
Launching the event, the Minister for Rural and Community Development Michael Ring, said whether one has lived in an area all their life or had just moved in, getting to know your neighbours is very important.
He said it binds our communities together, adding that no telephone call or text conversation can replace physically meeting someone for a chat over a cup of tea.
In the survey, depopulation was also identified as a major concern along with access to key local services.
And interestingly in view of fears for the future of post offices, 45 percent of members surveyed admitted they used their local post office only a couple of times a year.
The goal of Know Your Neighbour is to provide communities with an outlet for neighbours to get to know each other and establish a strong support network.
Every year Macra na Feirme encourages its clubs to set up a Know Your Neighbour event in their locality and encourage everyone in the region to attend.
If you would like to hold a Know Your Neighbour event, simply download your Know Your Neighbour poster from macra.ie/downloads and email jcoffey@macra.ie with details of your event to be published on the Macra na Feirme website.
