The People’s Transition - Ballylongford, Asdee, and Beal
The Ballylongford-Asdee-Beal People's Transition began in December 2022 and ran throughout 2023. The intention of the project was to listen to, and learn from, the needs and abilities of the communities of Ballylongford, Asdee, and Beal in North Kerry and then attempt to design a number of climate solutions that would benefit these communities and address a number of the main development priorities identified by the participants. This report captures the People’s Transition process as it was applied in these communities.
Based on this People’s Transition process, two climate solutions are proposed in the report that address local needs and build on the communities’ strengths. The first solution focuses on developing a blueway. This could help to boost the number of tourists visiting the area, building upon the location of the communities on the Shannon estuary alongside raising awareness of the other historic and natural amenities in North Kerry. The second solution presents a number of bioeconomy activities that are relevant to the rural economy. These include the processing of crops such as grass and hemp, forestry and anaerobic digestion. The creation of a bioeconomy co-operative could assist in creating new income streams for farmers as well as employment in the processing of biological resources.
