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Get inspired by Agroberry, an EAFRD-supported initiative run by a young female farmer in Zamora, Spain, who developed new range of products. The project won the  ‘Improving competitiveness in rural areas’ category of the 2019 ENRD Rural Inspiration Awards.  

Find out more about this inspiring project and plenty of examples in our ENRD Projects Database. 

A recent ENRD LEADER Thematic Lab – that took place in Brussels, on 17 October 2019 – explored the interaction between LEADER and Smart Villages in the current and future programming periods.

The event focused on identifying the elements of an enabling LEADER framework to inform and support LAGs working with Smart Villages, drawing on lessons learnt and success factors from this programming period and identifying how these could be applied in the future CAP Strategic Plans.

The 1^st meeting of the ENRD Thematic Group (TG) on ‘Bioeconomy and Climate Action in Rural Areas’ (Brussels, 25 September 2019) discussed the areas within the rural bioeconomy that have most potential to produce climate outcomes.

Participants looked into necessary actions to ensure that such climate outcomes can be valorised and upscaled in bio-based value chains and in rural activities. The event launched the TG's work to identify and disseminate the available support approaches, in particular in the context of the CAP and the Rural Development Programmes, to promote rural climate action within the bioeconomy.

A new network of EU Rural Development expertise took further shape during the European Commission's conference on Farming for Biodiversity, organised on 17 October 2019, in Brussels, Belgium.

The results-based approach has been recognised as a promising avenue to enhance the effectiveness of biodiversity measures in farmland. Fourteen Member States are already active in this useful field, which results in tangible biodiversity benefits for EU citizens as well as improved flexibility for farmers.

During the week dedicated to Regions and Cities, a session on ‘Smart Villages: overcoming the divide between  rural and urban’ was organised by  DG REGIO  and supported by DG AGRI and the ENRD CP.

Participants at the event took part in interactive thematic discussions with practical examples on how to pursue the transition to Smart Villages in the fields of renewable energy, digitalisation, social innovation and mobility. Institutional representatives and rural stakeholders discussed the policy evolution and expectations from Smart Villages. Fostering urban-rural linkages and creating synergies can help Europe to achieve a more cohesive and balanced development.

A recent report by the European Commission, on Agriculture and Knowledge Innovation Systems (AKIS) gives an overview of the potential for knowledge and innovation in the food and farming sector.

Putting together actors working in the field with complementary knowledge, has proven beneficial and efficient, e.g. in the case of EIP-AGRI Operational Groups or Horizon 2020 multi-actor projects. Nevertheless, the report highlights that national and regional AKIS are currently not integrated enough and their performance varies greatly from one Member State to another. This limits their potential in meeting the challenges ahead. Stronger AKIS are required. Read the full article here.

A new brochure by SIMRA presents examples of social innovation in the forestry sector aiming to increase the well-being of forest-dependent communities.

The brochure draws on a Special Issue of the scientific journal Forest Policy and Economics, contributing to advance and exchange on scientific knowledge of social innovation in the context of forestry. The papers included in this publication focus on identifying and explaining the role of social innovation, and the enabling policies and decision-making processes, which lead to an increase in the sustainability and multi-functionality of forests to the benefit of the local communities.

Two round tables were organised at the beginning of the month to discuss the proposed new environmental and climate architecture of the common agricultural policy (CAP).

On 9 and 10 October 2019, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Phil Hogan, in cooperation with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), brought together both agricultural and environmental stakeholders to discuss how the legal proposals could be implemented in order to address CAP objectives and Member States needs and concerns.

The calls for projects to be funded under the Horizon 2020 Societal Challenge 2 programme opened on 15 October 2019 and the first submission deadline is set for 22 January 2020.

The programme will fund projects on sustainable food security, blue growth, rural renaissance, and food and natural resources with a total budget of €521 million. Applications must be made through the Funding & Tenders portal.

Read the EIP-AGRI Brochure Horizon 2020 – calls 2020 and find more information on different calls for 2020 relevant for farming and rural development.

On 15 October 2019, The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) launched its ‘Diversity Strategy Towards 2025’, aiming to empower and encourage more women and younger farmers to get involved in the Association and shape the future of farming in Ireland.

Recommendations include developing a talent bank of women who are interested in holding leadership positions and offering tailored mentoring; limiting the term an officer can chair on the National Council; introducing gender-related targets for National Committees and candidates for election.

The ENRD Evaluation Helpdesk has published the website section ‘Back to the Basics’ meant to provide rural development stakeholders with an overview of the basic evaluation concepts in order to help those who are unacquainted with the evaluation process.

The section aims to assist stakeholders by providing introductory information on a variety of concepts and topics and is divided into five general categories to allow readers an easier and straightforward access.

Highlighting the contribution of rural women to agricultural innovation, an annual award run by the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food seeks to promote the role of women in rural business, projects and initiatives across the country.

The winners of the 2019 awards include: EntreSetas (Castilla y Leon) for innovation in agriculture; Conservas Artesanas Curricán (Galicia) for innovation in fisheries; Asociación El Avío (Andalucia) for economic diversification; and María Blasco Lázaro (Zaragoza) for communication. The full list is available online in Spanish.