SCOTLAND'S Rural College launched its new strategy this week, setting out the direction it hopes to take to better serve Scotland's rural communities and economy – the unification of SRUC's research and education activities in a single College of Agriculture and Rural Economy.

"We are now about to enter into a month-long discussion with staff, students and stakeholders to look at how the points set out in our discussion document should be delivered at regional, national and even international levels," explained SRUC principle and chief executive, Professor Wayne Powell.

The document, 'Towards a new strategy for SRUC', is aimed at describing how SRUC will hopefully strengthen the ways in which the three key areas of its business – research, education and consulting – work together to deliver benefits to the rural sector.

Prof. Powell continued: "In my nine months in this job, I have had the pleasure of travelling around Scotland and witnessing not only the world-class expertise that exists across the SRUC's broad span of interests, but also the real interest that those in the Scottish agricultural sector as a whole have in collaborating with the SRUC.

"Overall, there is an extraordinary period of change taking place at the moment and we feel that for the SRUC and agriculture as a whole, we have a once in a generation opportunity to reconnect agriculture to general society."

A central aspect of the strategy involves the proposal to combine SRUC's research and education activities under a College of Agriculture and Rural Economy. This new venture – CARE – would be closely integrated with the new SAC Ventures, an umbrella body that will encompass SAC Consulting, veterinary services and the Farm Advisory Service, and any new companies formed as a result of any increased commercial activities.

It is hoped this change in structure would allow SRUC to maximise the generation and communication of new knowledge of benefit to rural industries and communities.

SRUC chairman Pat Machray fully backed Prof. Powell's ideas: "Key to our activities will be strengthened links with existing and new industry partners. Scotland's food and drinks sector is already a remarkable success story, in which producers play a key role.

"Farmers are key to not only sustaining and growing our sector even further, but to also helping is respond to the big challenges on the horizon."

Prof. Powell concluded: "We are reinforcing our original mission to support all communities throughout Scotland. We want to see porosity between our three key areas of research, consultancy and education, so as to maximise integration. We are going to see more decentralisation of our activities, and we need to be better sensitised to the needs of different parts of Scotland.

"The next month will see a period of consultation, giving people a chance to contribute to how we go about these plans. We don't want to change things that are already working well, we want to harness our successes and build on them."

The SRUC are inviting comments on the strategy between now and Friday, May 12. Open meetings are to be held around Scotland, with additional ways to respond available online.