Communicating Rural Development
ENRD Main Stories Archives
NRN of the Month: Estonia
2012 is a busy year for the Estonian NRN, with a number of key activities and events planned on themes including Leader, social farming, local food networks, rural youth and CAP seminars and this year’s LINC conference.
The Estonian Rural Network Unit started its activities in April 2007 as a new department of the Rural Economy Research Centre, a public institution under the governance of the Ministry for Agriculture in Estonia. At the moment the NRN has seven full time employees but no formal membership structure and is based in an office 70km outside of the Estonian capital city of Tallinn. The Network Cooperation Chamber is the main advisory body for the Estonian NRN and involves associations and organisations concerned with the Estonian Rural Development Programme (RDP) 2007-2013. Members are selected according to the objectives of the axes of the RDP.
With the most important aspect of its work centred on the collection and sharing of information, the NRN’s website is its main communications tool, with many pages already translated into English. Its most popular pages relate to RDP project examples (with 93 examples currently uploaded), the weekly e-newsletter ‘Võrgukiri’, upcoming events, LAG information and TNC offers.
The NRN has also worked successfully with the Estonian media, including on an initiative with Estonian Public Service Broadcast Media, since 2008, which has helped to promote rural life and best practice examples of RDP and LEADER projects. A popular TV Quiz show called ‘Estonian game’ featured LAG representatives and rural citizens, together with Estonian celebrities and the NRN is currently pursuing new media projects for 2012.
With social farming still quite ‘new’ and as yet underdeveloped in Estonia, the NRN is currently researching possibilities for providing facilities for disabled young adults, amongst others, in Estonia, with a couple of farm holdings already reserved. Last December a second thematic day was held together with the Italian NRN and an Overview Paper was completed with 17 case studies included. A study tour to Finland is planned for April 2012.
Discussions are ongoing on the future of the CAP and of course LEADER in Estonia. In particular, a major LEADER conference entitled ‘Europe Day with Leader’ will take place on 09 May, 2012, in Tallinn. The event welcomes all interested in rural development and some 200-250 people are expected to attend. ‘Participants will be able to get better acquainted with LEADER projects, as well as meet and learn from project managers and LAG representatives,’ said Ave Bremse of the ENRN. ‘The conference will be quite interactive with lots of interesting videos and information available on a diverse range of projects from food to leisure and youth projects. And we expect all 26 Estonian LAGs to be involved. We will even be streaming the conference live on our website, so everyone can share in the experience,’ she said.
In addition, the third LINC conference takes place in South Estonia in June, 2012. The European LEADER conference is a networking initiative, which uses sporting events and culinary activities to bring people together. Registration is open up to 1st of May 2012. For further information, log on to the Estonian NRN website at www.maainfo.ee
