Policy solutions to reinforce rural development
The EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is increasingly focusing on rural development, involving a host of complementary and sometimes contradictory policies that come into play. The EU-funded project 'Rural future networks' (RUFUS) investigated the many aspects of rural areas and the relevant policy combinations that are meant to reinforce rural development. Project members identified policy impact weaknesses due to lack of coordination, studying key issues such as multifunctional potential or diversification, endogenous potential or territorial capital, and territorial impacts of policy. They examined mechanisms to improve policies through more integrated approaches, and provided tools to better design policies based on the diversity and challenges of rural regions. This led to a successful cluster analysis of regional economic, ecological and social characteristics, highlighting comparative advantages of regions and mapping future rural development. It also led to a clear classification of rural areas in Europe, as well as a clearer picture of pressures and potential developments for rural areas. In this context, RUFUS outlined policy recommendations for a joint strategy regarding the funding of coordination and the synchronisation of policies. The recommendations also addressed the implementation of integrated policy approaches as well as facilitation of financial planning for regional budgets and funds. Another important achievement involved support for the local level, exploiting the diversity of regions and enhancing knowledge transfer among them. Intensive dissemination of the project results, from conferences and workshops to published papers and case studies, helped inform academic stakeholders and policymakers of the latest findings in the field. Such valuable information could have a significant impact on policymakers to develop better policies in order to upgrade rural development and agriculture. This welcome initiative, based on encouraging the emergence of rural networks through enhanced policymaking, is poised to breathe new life into Europe's rural areas.
