Three of China’s senior departments, dedicated to rural and cultural development, came together to jointly issue an announcement on Sunday to start the year of national rural cultural activities.

In this first major look at what has become a two-speed rural Ireland, the study examined the changes taking place in the countryside where farming now accounts for just 30 per cent of employment.

The countryside can be used for farming and for holiday destinations. Explore the UK's countryside and learn how tourism impacts rural areas in this BBC Bitesize guide to KS2 Primary Geography.

Voices I want a life of splendid isolation in a dying rural England – so here’s how to help villages thrive, not just survive. Over the last 20 years the life has gone out of many of our areas ...