European Rural Days

Welcome!

2010-07-07T16:46:00.015+02:00

Thank your for your participation !
As soon as possible : documents and presentations here !

Successful European Rural Days in Namur and Turnhout !

Mid-November, the Walloon and Dutch Rural Networks organized two international days about the management of Environmental Public Goods and Regional Entrepreneurship. More than 160 people have attended to Rural Days : local stakeholders and representatives from Estonia, Sweden, Italy, Lithuania, Hungary, Cyprus, Portugal, Ireland, United Kingdom and France.

The first day highlighted three important dimensions for rural areas : multifunctional agriculture, multifunctional forests and enterprises participate, all together, in the production of many environmental public goods and in rural eco-systems preservation.

The second day in Turnhout worked, by using many examples, on how to improve regional cooperation, how could public-private cooperation contribute to regional enterprise development and what could be the additional value of prominent boundaries.

Day 2: Supporting regional entrepreneurship

2010-07-07T16:41:00.007+02:00

Entrepreneurship is the major driving force behind rural development. Smoothly running enterprises do not only improve the quality of life of individuals, families and communities. They also contribute to the economy, the environment and the quality of rural and peri-urban areas. Entrepreneurship is linked to the sustainability of regions.

At this point in time, innovation is crucial for rural entrepreneurship. Linkages between entrepreneurs and consumers are based on old market systems, which makes it complicated to anticipate on current trends in society. Globalizing markets, high quality requirements and the regional context of entrepreneurs are opportunities. Constraints are related to organizational and financial matters. Barriers between opportunities and constraints have to be taken. Establishing new linkages and forming new alliances between entrepreneurs seems crucial. Cooperation yields more than individual parties could possibly achieve and collaboration across borders is essential.

The focus of the conference is the Kempen, a region with a rich tradition and identity despite the fact that it was divided (between the Netherlands and Belgium) by a borderline for political reasons. Regarding entrepreneurship, there is a whole range of initiatives and networks in the Kempen. There is a lot to be learned.

In European rural areas, small and medium scale enterprises could flourish if they take up opportunities and improve the collaboration with the public sector. Trends and opportunities for European entrepreneurs are: basing regional development on the specific regional identity and the ‘sense of place’. Key questions to be addressed are:

How to improve regional cooperation?
How could public-private cooperation contribute to regional enterprise development?
What could be the additional value of prominent boundaries?

The common denominator for this conference is the power of collaboration across borders (between areas, between sectors like public-private, borders between organizations, producers and between producers and consumers, ...). What should be addressed in the conference is:
How to improve rural entrepreneurship for a sustainable economy across borders? What are the lessons to be learned? What is the additional value of cooperation across borders (between entrepreneurs, between entrepreneurs and the authorities and within the triangle: knowledge institutions/entrepreneurs/authorities?

The key issues during the seminar are: Proven methods, instruments and concepts (Financial, regarding the process, public-private partnerships) The context of political and financial constraints in public funding best practices and relevant experiences.

Day 2, 19th November, International day
Day 2 will be organized in cooperation with the European Network for Rural Development. During the conference different keys issues, methods and tools to promote and support rural entrepreneurship will be presented and discussed in various workshops. Topics to be addressed are: establishing networks, increasing knowledge and creativity, access to markets, access to capital and financial support, an enterprising public sector, delivery of public goods and use of local resources.

The workshops
The workshops will focus on various concrete ways to support rural entrepreneurship in several countries. These international examples show how innovative projects have evolved. Communication will be in English.

1. Knowledge and creativity
Knowledge institutions and entrepreneurs do often operate in two different worlds, whereas rural areas need professional entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs, in turn, need knowledge to improve their product. Hence, challenging questions are: how could rural entrepreneurs improve access to knowledge? In other words: how to link knowledge institutions to entrepreneurs? The workshop on ‘knowledge and creativity’ will cover examples of professionalizing entrepreneurs and bridging the knowledge gap between institutions and entrepreneurs.

2. Capital and financial support
How could, apart from subsidies, entrepreneurs be financially supported? Money spinners for areas as well as entrepreneurs will be highlighted in the workshop on ‘capital and financial support’. One example is the so called regional account. What does it entail, what is the purpose and how does it operate?

3. New markets
In order to ensure a smooth marketing of produce, entrepreneurs have to explore new markets continuously. Hence, how to assess new markets is a key question to entrepreneurs. Successful international examples of how product-market combinations evolve, will be the theme in the workshop ‘new markets’.

4. Strategic networking
Collaborating entrepreneurs are stronger than the ones who only compete! Possible areas of collaboration are: sharing knowledge, joint promotion of produce or joint representation in strategic networks. What kind of collaboration exists between entrepreneurs and is the mode of operation? The workshop ‘strategic networking’ shows the benefits of collaboration. Virtual collaboration through the World Wide Web will be dealt with as well.

5. An enterprising public sector
How could the public sector support and facilitate entrepreneurs? Is that by having transparent legislation only? Public servants with an entrepreneurial spirit create new opportunities for the public sector itself as well as for entrepreneurs. Both parties share interests, which is shown in public-private partnerships. Examples of municipal support to entrepreneurs and the role of municipalities in regional marketing will be highlighted in the workshop ‘an enterprising public sector’.

6. Public services
Examples of enterprises using regional resources in a different way are: farmers involved in environmental management, generating energy at local level, new estates as centres for development. How to make best use of opportunities and what is the role of entrepreneurs? In the workshop ‘public services’ innovative, international cases will be highlighted.

Day 1: Management of public goods

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Why broach this topic?

The rural areas in Europe and Wallonia produce and feed people, provide employment, offer a wide variety of landscapes, shelter and contribute to the conservation of most of the European biodiversity, meet most ecological functions (groundwater recharge, soil fertility, water purification, production of renewable energy, ...) and represent important places for culture and leisure. These territories are undergoing profound changes (agriculture, spatial changes, environment, ...) and are facing new challenges (energy, climate change).

Economists and policymakers are now wondering whether we can put a price on nature and how we can determine a monetary value. The underlying idea is that any natural or developed ecosystem provides services to society. So when I bite into an apple, when I breathe or when I drink a glass of water, I owe it to the proper functioning of ecosystems. Nature thus provides Eco-Systemic Services (ESS) to society. In questioning the value of ESS, we seek to identify particular means of payment for environmental services. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment report proposes to classify ESS into four categories:

· supply services (products obtained from ecosystems)

· regulating services (benefits obtained through the functioning of ecosystems)

· cultural services (non-material benefits such as the beauty of a landscape)

· support services (vital services needed for the production of all other services).

It is therefore necessary to consider the role farmers, foresters and businesses could play as managers of developed ecosystems. First of all, it is necessary to look at agriculture, forestry and the relationship between business and biodiversity from a different angle than usual. The Walloon Rural Development network proposes to explore, during this European meeting, those new points of view, also developed elsewhere in Europe, as well as potential applications in Wallonia.

Our guests

The seminar is open to all European stakeholders in rural development and all beneficiaries of the Walloon Rural Development Program, but it also targets stakeholders in territorial development sensitive to the management of public goods: territorial structure managers, agricultural and environmental associations, business federations, local administration members and regional and local politicians, associations and consulting firms...

The three thematic gateways / the questions

Topic 1 - Multifunctional Agriculture and management of environmental public goods

Agriculture participates in the production of many environmental public goods such as landscapes and the preservation of agricultural heritage, the availability and quality of surface runoff and groundwater, resilience to flooding, biodiversity of farmland, etc...

This role is increasingly recognized, more so when agriculture becomes "multifunctional". Repayment for these contributions is increasingly on the agenda. Thus, the implementation of agri-environmental measures, the proposal of Payments for Environmental Services (FAO)... clearly ask what agriculture contributes to the preservation of environmental services and fees, in connection with the territories. What are the thoughts on this topic today in Europe and Wallonia? Which action plans can be developed?

· Multifunctional agriculture contributes to the production of environmental public goods, how can synergies be enhanced?

· How can a better integration of agri-environmental measures in a territorial approach be ensured?

· Is an approach by ecosystemic services an innovative approach? How can it be used to develop a better characterization of public goods and of agriculture’s contributions to them?

· Establishing Payments for Environmental Services: Is it possible? How?

· How can the measures of Rural Development Programs contribute to the production of environmental services?

· How can environmental public goods be taken more into account in Rural Development policies? Management of environmental public goods: What responsibilities for what key players?

Topic 2 - Business and environmental public goods

How can we go from protecting the environment to managing environmental public goods?

Companies are sensitive to the issue of eco-systemic services if they want to develop sustainably. First, because of increased regulations on the subject, but also because the protection of biodiversity and eco-systems becomes the second environmental concern after climate change.

The establishment of business areas or companies in the countryside has an impact on rural ecosystems: clean water, energy, mobility, landscape, agricultural land use ... It may also strongly influence the area with regard to the production of energy or goods from local resources, the use of local materials, the production of environmental public goods...and thus promote the diversification of the rural economy.

The companies and their trade union gradually incorporate these issues into their strategic concerns: environmental consulting, European Platform on business and biodiversity, and networking opportunities for dialogue between research sector and enterprises, development of work methods such as EMAS or Analysis of Life Cycles, ...

· How do companies located in rural areas assume their environmental responsibility? How do they comply with the environmental protection legislation in force? What support do they have? Do standard environmental Systems like EMAS and / or 14001 help companies to better take into account environmental issues and protection? Do companies adopt concerted strategies (clusters) to take into account the cumulative risk, the domino effects?

· Do companies located in rural areas participate in the production of public goods? Which jobs or new services can they generate in this sector? How do we go from fighting attacks on the environment to providing environmental public goods? How can the principles of eco-conception be incorporated in their process?

Topic 3 - The multifunctional forest in the service of society: What management for what contributions?

Taking into account services rendered by the forest opens up new prospects and requires to consider new ways of managing forest areas. The proposed forum will attempt to show how innovative and rational management for the different roles of the forest may provide some added value to owners (whether private or public) and users. In this sense, the implementation of Payments for Environmental Services contributes to the sustainable management of forests.

Through examples, you will discover how the same forest can be a source of income, housing, land of scientific experimentation, playground and discovery, etc..

· What does "multifunctional forest" mean and what are the various services provided by forest ecosystems?

· How is the multifunctionality of the forest understood at the European level?

· How do managers from other member states take into account the multifunctionality of the forest? Which adaptive management? What objectives? What constraints? To what effect?

· How can a private landowner guide his forest management towards a multifunctional management? With what objectives? What are the benefits and constraints?

· How can a private forest become both a place for experimentation and a place of recreation?