Rural NI: Our New Approach 2026-2041

Overview

Rural communities are essential to the social, environmental, and economic wellbeing of Northern Ireland. Our rural areas include small towns, villages, hamlets, farming communities, and the open countryside. They are shaped by agriculture, local businesses, strong community ties, and the natural environment.

Each rural place has individual characteristics, needs, and opportunities. Some rural communities are close to cities or large towns, while others are more remote, surrounded by open countryside, located at the coast or near the border. Because of this, rural communities face different challenges and have different opportunities.

This consultation asks for your views on how people and government can work together to better understand, champion and support rural Northern Ireland.

It invites views on the proposed policy, including the vision, aim, objectives and guiding principles.

What happens next

Several public engagement events will be held during the consultation period. Information on these public engagement events will be published on the DAERA website. 

Following the closure of the consultation, all feedback will be analysed and used to review the proposals. A summary of responses will be published on the DAERA website. DAERA will review all responses using a combination of traditional qualitative analysis and, where appropriate, AI‑assisted tools.

Recommendations will then be submitted to Minister Muir, who will consider the consultation responses before bringing the policy to the Northern Ireland Executive for their consideration.