In the early part of the 21st century, the countryside as we know it stands at a crossroads. Coming over the hill towards it is a storm of change greater even than the Agricultural Revolution, or the Depression of the 1930s. Rural areas are under threat from vast numbers of people with a different view of the countryside and different requirements of it, often, sadly, with no understanding of its ways and values, and what lies behind these. The pressure is on: rural people, the landscape in which they live and work, their skills and distinct way of life, are all at risk. Can the countryside survive?