Rural and farming dynamics and policies

Rural areas across the EU have undergone and are still undergoing profound changes including the transition from economies focusing on the primary sector towards more diverse economies where industries and services play an increasing or even dominant role.

In many territories, new activities are flourishing, including tourism, small-scale and niche manufacturing, food production and business services. Digital developments also offer a wide range of new business and networking opportunities. At the same time, many rural areas are facing demographic and social decline that endangers the delivery of vital ecosystem services.

While economic diversification was an important objective of rural policies for decades, the food security agenda – including concerns over generational renewal in farming – and the increasing demand for biomass for bio-based applications, created renewed interest towards primary production.

This new interest needs to accommodate stakeholder concerns over the capacity of rural areas to sustainably cater to all these needs while delivering a high level of environmental and social benefits in the context of urbanisation and climate change.

Evidence and knowledge are an essential input into the design of modern policies that will help rural communities and businesses overcome these challenges, using the most appropriate instruments and governance approaches.