North Devon UNESCO Biosphere’s Post

Exciting to see our state investing in the future! These programs could be game-changers for local economies. Which one do you think will have the most significant impact? #EconomicDevelopment #CommunityGrowth #AgTech #StateFunding #Innovation

£80,000 funding launched in Round 3 of scheme to boost rural businesses and organisations    Rural businesses and organisations are being invited to apply for grants to help them boost productivity, improve community buildings, improve accessibility to tourist attractions and green open spaces that support our local communities and businesses.    The scheme aimed at boosting the rural economy launches Round 3 of funding on Monday 8th July 2024 with around £80,000 of capital only funding available. Applications will be treated on a first come first served basis until all funding has been allocated.      The scheme, made possible thanks to £400,000 from Rural England Prosperity Fund in 2023 has been extremely popular and has already seen a wide range of businesses and organisations funded to make business performance improvements, purchase new machinery and vehicles and install energy efficiency measures.     There are a range of grants available, with funds from £7,500 to £22,500. The grants also have an intervention rate of 75%, meaning businesses and organisations need only find a minimum of 25% of the total eligible project costs to apply.     Full information and how to apply to the Hinckley and Bosworth Rural England Prosperity Fund scheme visit: https://lnkd.in/gJZAsdRS

As many of you know supporting and developing the Rural Economy has absolutely been my 'thing' in my working life (and 'not' working life too!) My thoughts on the most recent round of the delivery of rural development funds are as below, setting out how the relationship between #defra and #localauthorities is not working. Having worked 'both sides of the fence' starting off in the early 1990s ( I was very young!!) alongside John Powell , I have been involved in either putting together or accessing for private clients rural development programmes that have benefited positively to rural businesses. As a member of ANGLIA RURAL CONSULTANTS LTD I now work with other like minded independents and we have somewhat of a birds eye view of how the England Rural Prosperity Fund, the latest tranche of rural funds, is being delivered across the country. I believe that in my 30 years of being in this arena it is the worst roll out of a programme that I have seen. It is meant to be part of the levelling up agenda , it is far from that and a postcode, literally, lottery as to which district your business falls within and the offer they present. If you have a couple of minutes please see the attached...this programme ceases in March 2025, we want a more robust, transparent and equal programme for all to follow on... #ruraleconomy #ruraldevelopment #ruralbusiness #ruralgrants The CLA NFU (National Farmers' Union) https://lnkd.in/ez7FEyVX

$ Seeding Gardens: For those of you focused on or in the neighborhood of traditional Finance with Loans and/or Grants - Consider how these $ seeds could cultivate interconnected value chains - resilient beyond volatile and scarce national currency. Read more about Loans and Grants in the Commitment Pooling Paradigm: https://lnkd.in/e2qDDujN

Exciting News for Our Community! We are thrilled to announce that six remarkable Native-owned businesses have been awarded NWNC’s Economic Equity Investment Program (EEIP) grants for 2024. These grants represent not just financial support, but a belief in the power of transforming our communities through economic equity. Meet Our 2024 EEIP Grant Recipients: SAKARI FARMS LLC , Benti Lines, Good Rain Farm, CedarStone Design and Build , Tattoo 34, Tutuilla True Fish These businesses embody the spirit of resilience, innovation, and community. They serve as a testament to what can be achieved when we support and uplift the voices and visions of Native-owned businesses. As we celebrate their success over the next few weeks, let's also remember the broader mission of the EEIP: to bridge the wealth gap and foster economic equity for all, particularly those in our most vulnerable communities. Through this funding, these businesses are building generational wealth in areas such as land access and agriculture, sustainable housing, transportation, commercial spaces, and overall contributing to a thriving economy. Let's keep the momentum going! #EEIP2024 #EconomicEquity #NativeOwnedBusinesses #CommunityGrowth #GenerationalWealth #OregonBusinesses #BuyNative

🎉Celebrating 30 years of QRIDA: Reflecting on 2004 to 2008 ✨   Last week, we wound the clock back to the years of 1999 to 2003 ⏰ and reflected on how QRIDA, formerly QRAA, helped primary producers improve their water management during the millennium drought with financial assistance ahead of our 30-year anniversary this October💰(in case you missed it 👉 https://bit.ly/3B1dCq8). This week we’re looking back on 2004 to 2008 when continued drought conditions ☀ and severe cyclones 🌧 impacted the state, exotic pests and diseases like giant African snail and citrus canker were on top of Queensland’s biosecurity priorities 🦠 , and industries like grain were enjoying high prices while cotton recorded its lowest gross value of production in a decade. In 2004, the Rural Adjustment Authority Amendment Act was passed to expand the 💰 financial assistance programs QRAA could deliver. Following the Act, QRAA was able to administer financial assistance programs on behalf of Commonwealth, Queensland and other state governments 🏛️ that were primarily, but not exclusively, targeted at fostering a more productive and sustainable rural and regional sector. 🌄 In March 2006, 🌧 Cyclone Larry hit Innisfail as a category four system and was considered Queensland’s worst cyclone in more than 70 years. Less than a month later, an even more intense category five system, Cyclone Monica, made landfall near Lockhart River. 🌀 Both cyclones left a devastating impact on Far North Queensland, and QRAA delivered more than 💰 $50 million to help impacted 👩🌾 primary producers and 👩🍳 small businesses with the clean-up and recovery. In October 2006, QRAA surpassed more than $1 billion administered in financial support for Queensland industry since it commenced operations in 1994. ✨ At the time, 🧑💼 QRAA Chief Executive Officer, Colin Holden, said of the milestone “QRAA’s success as a program administrator stems from our willingness to continually improve our organisation.” QRAA’s 2007 Rural Debt Survey recorded a total of $11.28 billion 💰 in rural debt during 2005 to 2007, with 80% of the total debt considered to be viable or potentially viable in the long-term. At the end of 2007, QRAA opened new regional offices in Bundaberg, Longreach, and Rockhampton 💼 , in addition to its regional presence in Toowoomba, Roma, Kingaroy, Mackay and Innisfail, and its head office in Brisbane. 🏢 During this period, QRAA’s program portfolio included Productivity Loans (Development, First Start and Resource Management Loans), the Cyclone Larry and Monica Natural Disaster Relief Assistance Package, Exceptional Circumstance Drought Interest Subsidy Support, Drought Carry-on and Drought Recovery Loans, and the Vegetation Management Financial Assistance Package. Stay tuned 👀 next week as we turn back time to the years of 2009 to 2013 ⏰ and explore how QRIDA helped Queenslanders overcome challenges and succeed with financial assistance. 🤠

One of Labour's bigger promises is to build a new generation of New Towns. Is this possible? What would it cost? Do people even like them? My new blog explores the experience of building 3 million homes in the last generation of New Towns. Lessons include: - Yes, judging from demand, they seem pretty popular - Yes, legislation still exists to enable land assembly and fair purchase - Yes, they not only pay for themselves, some made a profit for the taxpayer Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eHsKdTfS There are also important questions about the potential role of community ownership and management in New Towns and whether large-scale social investment could help to shape this new wave of communities to be the best yet. #newtowns #housing #socialinvestment #communityassets

Electrifying rural areas in SSA is going to need subsidy for many homes/villages – that’s widely accepted. Various mini grid results-based-financing programmes have demonstrated sharp growth while the programmes are available, but so far the programmes have been relatively small and funds run out, creating a stop/start growth model for the sector. We need scale. My dream would be to merge existing RBFs - take all the learning, the data, the subsidy team skill/knowledge, IT/processes, the funders and reach 1B commitment over the next 2 years (and grow from there). From within a well-funded facility, data-driven improvement and optimisation can occur, instead of creating a new subsidy program/organisation every time we want to improve subsidy mechanisms. It’s costly to do things again and again. I wrote a little blogpost for the Mini-Grids Partnership newsletter at Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) - Link to the post here https://lnkd.in/ecsUMaJy. Also includes thought pieces from Aaron Leopold Ieva Indriunaite (Indriūnaitė), Enrico Dal Farra, José Mestre, Mukabanji Mutanuka and Carlos Miro (GIZ) Tagging some of the sector people I've been discussing subsidy with over the many years Gabriel Davies Emily McAteer Matt Tilleard Africa Minigrid Developers Association (AMDA) ‘Lamide Niyi-Afuye Caroline Eboumbou Nico Peterschmidt Anita Otubu Olusegun Odunaiya Jessica Stephens Steven Hunt William Brent Aaron Leopold Aaron Cheng

how fabulous, well done

Couldn’t agree more. There are approximately 250,000 existing homes, in the short-term rental accommodation sector that are a poor use of housing with vacancies rates at 60% on average in some localities. Our analysis shows they have a direct impact on supply, vacancy rates and in turn rental prices. This is backed by Per Capita study who’s say their impact on rental dwellings pool in Australia is 7.6%. A healthy rental market sits at 3%. Australia’s current vacancy rate is 1.1%. Returning approximately 20% of the total STRA properties to the long-term could be used to house families, the skilled migrants needed to build new homes and in turn reduce rents. We need a new way of supplying homes in the near-term. Homes take time to build and and this approach can significantly help alleviate the rental and housing crises.