Jessica’s Rural Words

Indispensable Bucolic Information

Grape expectations: what does the growth in vineyards mean for rural communities?

Grape expectations: what does the growth in vineyards mean for rural communities?

Viticulture – the cultivation and harvesting of grapes – is one of Britain’s fastest-growing agricultural sectors. In 2023 we had our largest ever grape harvest from which it is expected 20-22 million bottles of wine will be produced. Over the last 10-15 years there has been a significant increase in vineyard area in the UK. […]

What do the hedgerow regulations mean for future hedge management?

What do the hedgerow regulations mean for future hedge management?

Hedgerows are a defining feature of the countryside and bustling with life – from the hedgehogs that call them home to the bees butterflies and other wildlife they sustain. They also play an important role in farming, ensuring soils remain healthy and reducing the impacts of flooding or drought. And there is growing evidence that […]

What are Spending Reviews, and do they result in (more) public spending in rural communities? 

What are Spending Reviews, and do they result in (more) public spending in rural communities? 

The Government’s arrangements for planning, budgeting, spending and monitoring involve HM Treasury, departments and the Cabinet Office. HM Treasury allocates funding to departments through annual budgets and multi-year spending reviews. Departments then use those funds to deliver programmes and activities. How are Spending Reviews carried out, and why are they important for rural communities? Jessica […]

Extreme weather

How can rural communities become more resilient to extreme weather events?

Back in December 2022 the Government published its Resilience Framework. This took a strategic approach to resilience and led the Cabinet Office to reorganise its resilience functions to create separate capabilities for ‘preparedness & risk reduction’ and ‘crisis response.’ With global temperatures continuing to rise extreme weather events could become more frequent and severe. What […]

Central bank forecasting: do the models work for rural communities?

Central bank forecasting: do the models work for rural communities?

Economic models are quantitative frameworks used by almost all central banks, including the Bank of England (BoE), to test assumptions using economic data. Back in 2013, at his Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences lecture, Lars Peter Hanson said “part of meaningful quantitative analysis is to look at models and try to figure out their […]

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Jessica Sellick

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