Over 400 delegates will gather for an online conference today (Monday, November 15) to celebrate the impact of the LEADER programme on rural development in Ireland over the past 30 years.
The event, hosted by the National Rural Network (NRN), will include contributions from a range of experts in rural development and several beneficiaries of past LEADER programmes.
Speaking ahead of the event, keynote speaker Professor Mark Shucksmith said: “Ireland led the way, inspiring people across Europe in the early development of LEADER.
“We have all learned much during the past 30 years – about the importance of local knowledge, capacity-building, networks, social innovation, social inclusion, governance, autonomy and inhibiting power structures.
“We know that there are huge challenges ahead for rural [and urban] societies.
“The LEADER approach can help local communities to respond actively to these challenges, the more so if they have sufficient autonomy, the support of an enabling state and active networks.
“I look forward to continuing to learn from and being inspired by the Irish experience of LEADER beyond the first 30 years.”
LEADER ‘bottom up’ approach
Seamus Boland, programme director of the NRN described the main concept behind the LEADER initiative.
“Given the diversity of European rural areas, development strategies are more effective and efficient if decided and implemented at a local level by local communities, accompanied by clear and transparent procedures, the support of the relevant public administrations and the necessary technical assistance for the transfer of good practice.
“This ‘bottom-up’ approach has worked particularly well in Ireland over the past 30 years, empowering rural communities to take ownership of their economic, social and environmental development.”
Since its launch in 1991, the LEADER programme has helped rural communities across the EU to actively engage and to direct the local development of their area, through community-led local development.
The programme is administered at a local level in Ireland by 29 local action groups. These contain local representatives from the community, public and private sector.
Despite the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, activity in the LEADER programme has continued to increase, the NRN said.
As of the end of October, there were 4,821 LEADER projects approved with a total value of €200 million.
Since the transitional LEADER programme came into effect on April 1, bridging the gap between the 2014-2020 programme and the new LEADER programme in 2023, 316 projects have been approved for funding, worth a combined €12.7 million.
Moreover, some 126 projects are working their way through the approval process, which has an additional value of €5.9 million.