EU Rural Development Programmes Research Articles

Tourist Itineraries, Food, and Rural Development: A Critical Understanding of Rural Policy Performance in Northeast Italy

The tourist itinerary concept refers to initiatives combining activities/attractions under a theme and stimulating business opportunities by developing products and services, in accordance with the cultural context and the interaction with the territory. Rural Development Policy serves as example. While not intended to promote tourism directly, it encourages the creation/rediscovery of tourist itineraries, including those that are food-related. We undertook a case study in northeastern Italy. Using a mixed research method, we aimed to appreciate the role played, within the EU Rural Development Programme of the Veneto region, by tourism and the tourist itinerary as a tool for territorial and traditional foods valorisation. Our first objective was to identify the correlations between the choice of certain types of tourism interventions and the territorial characterization by tourism. Through a correspondence statistical analysis, two analyses on the funding beneficiaries were carried out in particular on the period 2014–2020, depending on whether the issuing organization was the Veneto Region or a Local Action Group. The types of intervention on information and infrastructures for tourism, as well as on the redevelopment of cultural heritage, emerged of interest, in particular to public entities. Focusing on the LEADER areas, we examined, through semi-structured interviews, critical issues associated with the implementation of the Policy to grasp the degree of incisiveness of the examined Measures which place the tourist itinerary at the centre of the rural development. Our work shows that in the territories analysed, tourism is a driving force. There emerges, though, a need to refocus the Measures. This is to ensure that their effects are more durable, that eligible actors are more involved, and that there is less strategic redundancy in relation to other policies.

Regional targeting of purpose driven wetlands: success or failure?

In the past 30 years, Swedish EU Rural Development Programme (RDP) financing for constructed wetlands (CWs) had two goals: nutrient reduction and biodiversity conservation. Since 2007, at least 1,718 CWs have been implemented. However, their cost effectiveness has been difficult to assess as defined targets for improvements were lacking. In 2013, Sweden set up regional (county) targets for new CWs to mitigate eutrophication and conserve biodiversity as part of a 6-year plan under the RDP. Here, we investigate if the increase in targeting was effective, in particular if the 15 participating counties achieved their stated goals. We also compare CW characteristics during the regionally targeted period (2014–2020) with the preceding untargeted period (2007–2013). The results indicate that regional targets were not achieved. Most counties set lower targets for biodiversity conservation than for nutrient reduction. Hence, by 2020 more counties exceeded targets for the former than for the latter. Budget share allocated to the two goals was not decisive, instead the outcome could be attributed to prioritization, budget controls, timing consistency, decision criteria consistency and goal setting. During both periods half of the CWs were funded for each purpose, yet the number of wetlands constructed decreased by 82% in the second period. Landowners may have prioritized biodiversity CWs as construction costs were higher for nutrient retention CWs and costs were mostly not fully covered by the RDP. Furthermore, targets were not budget limited, which meant that county-level allocation of funds could be shifted to finance CWs that did not meet the intended purpose. To increase overall measure effectiveness, we suggest that the distribution of national funds for CWs should be divided between the two purposes identified at the regional level and that reallocation of funds only be permitted in accordance with redefinition at the county level.

Stakeholder Empowerment in Sustainable Rural Development Partnerships: Two Case Studies from Italy

The funds allocated through the EU Rural Development Programme provided the engine for local stakeholders to interact, forming mixed collaboration partnerships. This paper investigates the structure of such partnerships with the aim of verifying whether (R1) there are significant differences between the various stakeholder categories in influencing the rural development process, and (R2) which categories of stakeholders are more empowered in directing the design of sustainable rural development. The study is focused on two Italian cases: the regions of Apulia and Veneto. Using a combination of SNA and nonparametric tests, the results demonstrate that the empowerment of the stakeholders followed unequal paths in the two cases; i.e., a central role is clearly played by economic associations in Apulia, while this power is more distributed between different kinds of stakeholders in the case of Veneto. Agricultural associations in Apulia play an important role in the densely connected rural development network, promoting information flow and collective action. On the other hand, the weakness of this configuration lies in the fact that the rural development agenda can receive strong pressure from the agricultural sector, pushing more sectoral strategies in turn. Private companies play a key role in Veneto’s rural development, bridging the network gaps between more clustered local groups and increasing pluralism and inclusion. However, the network is sparse and shrinking, posing challenges in terms of coordination and collective action. This kind of evaluation makes policymakers and managers aware of both the most influential and weakest actors. This is crucial to improving the effectiveness and sustainability of the project, as they can involve the most influential groups from the early stages of the design process to ensure support as well as address the needs of the lagging stakeholder categories to reinforce tacit rules, trust, accountability, and responsibilities.

Environmental and farm impacts of the EU RDP agri-environmental measures: Evidence from Slovak regions

Building on recent advances in the counterfactual impact evaluation, the paper illustrates the application of the area-based versions of the DID-matching and the Generalised Propensity Score Matching (GPSM) approaches to estimate impacts of the EU agri-environmental measures (AEM) on the quality of surface and underground waters, the GHG emissions from livestock as well as on economic results of farms supported by AEM in the framework of the Rural Development Programme (RDP) in selected two regions in Slovakia. The applied approach in combination with GIS and socio-economic (e.g. FADN) data allows to address several important sources of selection bias originated from disregarding important confounding site-specific factors that in majority of the AEM impact evaluations were treated as “unobservable” and from which many previous studies suffer. The approach is therefore highly relevant for assessing the impacts of the AEM in regions with diversified local site-specific characteristics. Another advantage of the applied approach is the coverage of the whole territory and calculation of impacts of the AEM support straightforwardly for the total area delineated by its territorial borders without an extrapolation of micro- results to regional/macro levels. Our estimates show that the effects of the AEM on the selected impact indicators were rather mixed but only in part favourable from a policy perspective.

Principio de Subsidiariedad en los programas europeos de desarrollo rural: LEADER después de la Agenda 2000 en Castilla-La Mancha

LEADER, más allá de ser un programa de desarrollo rural, simboliza un cambio de paradigma en la gobernanza territorial de los espacios rurales. Esta metodología irrumpió en los años 90 en sintonía con las corrientes de desarrollo local y modernizaría los modelos de intervención pública. A pesar del potencial que supone, se han observado ciertas deficiencias en su aplicación. Los objetivos de este artículo son proporcionar una evaluación operativa de los programas europeos de desarrollo rural basados en la metodología LEADER y explorar los niveles de gestión de los programas. Para ello se realizaron entrevistas a gerentes de Grupos de Acción Local (GAL) tomando como estudio de caso la Comunidad Autónoma de Castilla-La Mancha. Las restricciones normativas contrarias al principio de subsidiariedad, las características socioculturales de la población local, los localismos, la integración de las políticas con los sectores estratégicos o la falta de identidad territorial se identificaron como las principales debilidades en el diseño y aplicación de los programas con enfoque LEADER.

The impact of producer organizations on farm performance: The case study of large farms from Slovakia☆

This paper estimates the farm level impact of producer organizations’ (PO) membership in Slovakia and the effectiveness of support provided to POs under the EU Rural Development Programme (RDP). We employ the PSM-DID econometric approach on a database of large Slovak commercial farms for 2006 and 2015. First, our results show that belonging to a PO improves the economic performance of farms in Slovakia. Second, in the short-run the support granted under RDP 2007–2013 to newly established PO does not improve the farm performance; only established and older POs (and potentially supported in the past) generate benefits to their members. Third, the estimates provide indirect evidence that the disbursement of PO support granted in the financial period 2007–2013 was rather ineffective in selecting POs with the highest potential to generate benefits to its members. Our analysis confirms that many POs were created for the sole purpose just to benefit from the support. This result is reinforced by the observed high closure rate of supported POs.

Investment Crowding-Out: Firm-Level Evidence from Germany

The main objective of the present paper is to estimate the extent to which firm investment is substituted (crowded-out) by investment support policies granted under the EU Rural Development Programme (RDP). In the empirical analyses we employ the difference-in-difference propensity score matching approach, which allows us to address several important sources of bias, such as selection bias, the simultaneity bias, and functional form misspecification, from which many previous studies suffer. Using panel data of 1,333 firms from the Schleswig-Holstein region in Germany, we find that the crowding-out effect of the RDP is close to 100%, implying that firms use public support to substitute for private investments. Furthermore, no evidence was found that, due to RDP programme support, firms would have brought forward their investments planned originally in a later period, rejecting the f inter-temporal substitution of investments.

Convergence of EU nitrogen surplus, the RDP indicator of water quality

The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD), EU Nitrate Directive and EU Rural Development Policy (RDP) aim to improve water quality. The nutrient content of water can be decreased by reducing nitrogen emission. In this article a novel approach is applied to the evaluation of the impact of Agri Environmental Measures (AEM), which are part of axis 2 of the EU Rural Development Programme. The spending on AEM is linked to the reduction of nitrogen surplus, and hence, to the improvement of water quality. Reduction of nitrogen surplus is considered as a beta convergence process, in which the nitrogen surplus of EU member states converges to a steady state level. The convergence is tested, applying spatial econometrics on a panel data set of EU member states. The development over time of nitrogen surplus is explained applying the conditional beta convergence methodology. To allow for varying steady state nitrogen surpluses, structural variables are added to the analysis. RDP spending on AEM was added as structural variable to evaluate whether they affect the reduction of nitrogen surplus. The fixed effects panel data specification was tested to be the best model and preferred over spatial econometric specifications. A significantly negative effect is found between AEM expenditures and nitrogen surplus. Based on these estimation results it can be concluded that spending on AEM affects the convergence of nitrogen surplus towards a steady state level. A causal relationship cannot be tested with data on EU Member State level and additional analysis at smaller spatial level is warranted.

Consultancy Services for Rural Development Funds – A Comparative Study between Romania and Poland

Abstract Insufficient consultancy services represent one of the causes for poor results in EAFRD's implementation in Romania, in terms of quantity and quality. The attempt of the National Agency for Agricultural Consulting to provide consultancy services for SAPARD and EAFRD projects didn’t reach its goals, because of experts’ inappropriate training and lack of motivation. A comparative analysis between Romania and Poland, based on the important similarities concerning rural areas and development priorities, should point out the reasons for the Polish model's success. Elements of this model might be implemented in Romania, to increase EU rural development programmes’ results. Consultancy services for EU projects should cover formulation and submission as well as implementation activities.

Vertical integration of local fuel producers into rural district heating systems – Climate impact and production costs

Farmers can use their own agricultural biomass residues for heat production in small-scale systems, enabling synergies between the district heating (DH) sector and agriculture. The barriers to entry into the Swedish heat market were extremely high as long as heat distribution were considered natural monopoly, but were recently lowered due to the introduction of a regulated third party access (TPA) system in the DH sector. This study assesses the potential impact on greenhouse gas emissions and cost-based heat price in the DH sector when farmers vertically integrate into the heat supply chain and introduce more local and agricultural crops and residues into the fuel mix. Four scenarios with various degree of farmer integration, were assessed using life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology, and by analysis of the heat production costs. The results show that full integration of local farm and forest owners in the value chain can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lower production costs/heat price, if there is an incentive to utilise local and agricultural fuels. The results imply that farmer participation in the DH sector should be encouraged by e.g. EU rural development programmes.

Introduction: rural women in Europe: the impact of place and culture on gender mainstreaming the European Rural Development Programme

Gender relations are socially constructed. Space and culture are key factors in this process. We consider how women's identity is constructed in rural areas of Europe. In particular, we examine the ability of gender mainstreaming to advance gender equality through the EU Rural Development Programme – the single most expensive European policy. We offer both overarching theoretical perspectives and specific case studies.

Gender mainstreaming and rural development policy; the trivialisation of rural gender issues

This paper considers gender mainstreaming of the EU Rural Development Programme. The EU promotes the gender mainstreaming of rural development policies because retaining women in rural areas is seen as crucial to the long-term viability of rural areas. A review of literature and scan of policy documents demonstrates that few rural development plans address gender issues, and generally only by including some separate projects for women. Little is done to address the systemic features of gender inequality and to realise inclusive developments that address the needs of all social groups. The de-politicisation of rural gender issues results in policy makers ticking the obligatory gender box without envisioning any real change in the agenda or process of rural development policy making. I argue that a more fruitful way to go forward is to re-politicise gender in rural development and to tease out at the local level how changing gender relations and rural development coincide.

Experiencing Multi-Level Meta-Governance

This article analyses the outcome of dividing the meta-governor role among various levels of governance and describes local actors' experiences under multiple meta-governors. The empirical case presented here involves Danish local action groups in contemporary EU Rural Development and Fisheries programmes. This article takes its theoretical point of departure from the four types of meta-governance that Sørensen identified. The data analysed are derived from a survey sent to all Danish local action group board members and coordinators. The article demonstrates that authorities at the sub-national level in the context of multi-level meta-governance engage in various types of activities and identifies important differences between board members' and coordinators' perceptions of meta-governance.

Establishing Forest Stakeholders' Associations to revitalize forestry in mountain areas. Contributions from EU rural development programmes: a case study from an Italian Region

The lack of management in mountain forests is one of the most relevant problems affecting the Italian forestry sector. Several reasons can explain this situation. First of all, the high fragmentation characterising both private and public forest holdings and the lack of cooperation among the different forest stakeholders. A contribution to the revitalization of Italian mountain forestry could be offered by the establishment of Forest Stakeholders’ Associations (FSAs). A testimony of this is provided by what has been generated in the frame of a Measure implemented by Piedmont Region1 during the 2000-2006 Rural Development Policy (RDP) programming period. This Measure2 has supported the establishment of ten different associations that still actively contribute to the revitalization of the regional and mountain forestry sector. At present, the Reg. EC 1698/2005 disciplining the 2007-2013 RDP programming period, despite of the positive results obtained by the establishment of forest networks in several mountain areas, does not provide support for the establishment of forest stakeholders’ associations. This mismatch raises the need either to indentify new strategies for future RDP programming periods or to activate dedicated actions at national or regional level to revitalize mountain forestry. In this perspective, the paper aims to: a) highlight the positive elements generated by the Measure 1.5; b) stress the opportunity to forester the establishment of FSAs to revitalize forestry and to promote rural development processes in mountain areas

How to support the implementation of due diligence systems through the EU Rural Development Programme: problems and potentials

La Timber Regulation dell’Unione Europea e un nuovo strumento legislativo approvato dal Parlamento e dal Consiglio Europeo nell’Ottobre 2010 che entrera in vigore nel marzo del 2013. Tale Regolamento definisce gli obblighi che devono essere rispettati dagli operatori che commercializzano legno e prodotti legnosi nel mercato dell’Unione Europea, con lo scopo di contrastare la vendita di legname ottenuto da raccolta illegale nel Paese di origine. Per rispettare questo Regolamento, gli operatori dovranno implementare un sistema di “dovuta diligenza” ( Due Diligence ) che attesti che il legno che vendono deriva da attivita legali di taglio. Come alternativa, gli operatori possono anche decidere di lavorare sotto il controllo e l’assistenza di un’Organizzazione di Monitoraggio. Il presente contributo discute le opportunita e le sfide che questo Regolamento delinea per il settore forestale dell’UE, fornendo specifica attenzione al ruolo che la Politica di Sviluppo rurale per il periodo 2007-2013 puo giocare nel sostenere gli operatori dell’Unione. Gli impatti del Regolamento dipenderanno dai contenuti delle legislazioni secondarie che saranno approvate dall’UE cosi come dalle misure di sostegno che saranno attivate dalla Politica di Sviluppo rurale. Nell’implementazione del Regolamento dovra essere presa in considerazione l’esperienza maturata negli Stati Uniti dal Lacely Act in modo da trovare un compromesso accettabile tra la necessita di ridurre l’illegalita nel settore forestale e la necessita di mantenere condizioni giuste e bilanciate di competitivita nel mercato del legno

Are rural development programmes socially inclusive? Social inclusion, civic engagement, participation, and social capital: Exploring the differences

Considerable importance is attached to social exclusion/inclusion in recent EU rural development programmes. At the national/regional operation of these programmes groups of people who are not participating are often identified as ‘socially excluded groups’. This article contends that rural development programmes are misinterpreting the social processes of participation and consequently labelling some groups as socially excluded when they are not. This is partly because of the interchangeable and confused use of the concepts social inclusion, social capital and civic engagement, and partly because of the presumption that to participate is the default position. Three groups identified as socially excluded groups in Northern Ireland are considered. It is argued that a more careful analysis of what social inclusion means, what civic engagement means, and why participation is presumed to be the norm, leads to a different conclusion about who is excluded. This has both theoretical and policy relevance for the much used concept of social inclusion.