Networks and networking are widely recognised and adopted as key tools for supporting and promoting sustainable rural development. Networking has proven to be a useful instrument for increasing the involvement of stakeholders at various stages of Rural Development Programme (RDP) implementation. At the RDP planning stage, it is often used as an instrument to bring all interested parties together to discuss relevant policy proposals. At policy implementation stage, it supports the work of various rural development stakeholders by creating opportunities to exchange ideas, information and knowledge. Once RDPs are more advanced, networks play an important role in the dissemination of good practices and contribute to improvement of the rural development policy.
Networking is to enhance its important role during the 2014-2020 programming period through the establishment of networks in the field of rural development at the European and national level.
Networking at the EU level – through the European Network for Rural Development – brings together National Rural Networks, organisations, and administrations active in the field of rural development to:
- increase the involvement of all stakeholders in the implementation of the policy;
- improve the quality of RDPs and support their evaluation;
- inform the broader public on the benefits of the rural development policy; and
- foster innovation in agriculture, food production, forestry and rural areas.
The European Innovation Partnership for Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability (EIP-AGRI) and its Service Point supports the networking of operational groups, advisory services and researchers.
Find here more information on networking as rural development policy tool in 2014-2020.
Access relevant ENRD and other resources, guidance documents, tools and examples of rural development networking by clicking on the below buttons.
Lessons from 2007-2013
Links to relevant ENRD work on understanding networking as rural development policy tool based on relevant experiences at EU and national level.
- Rural Review 14: Networks and Networking in Rural Development Policy [PDF
] present the experience and role of networks as an effective means of informing, inspiring and empowering local people in rural communities
- Lessons learned from the ENRD shows some of the milestones and achievements of the ENRD during the period 2008-2012.
- Lessons from the NRNs presents important and useful lessons to be learned from the experience of the NRNs during the 2007-2013 period that can be built upon for the forthcoming 2014-2020 programming period.
- National Rural Networks – the diversity of approaches delivers practical experiences and learning opportunities created by the NRNs’ vast variety of approaches related to rural networking.
- Networks as a rural development policy tool for stimulating and sharing new ideas which contributes to the implementation of the rural development policy.
- Capacity Building for Rural Networks is a seminar organised by the ENRD with the aim to contribute to the capacity building of national and regional networks and to present a valuable opportunity for those involved in the early stages of establishing an NRN to meet with other rural development actors across the EU.
- NRN Self-Assessment Profiles informs about the general approach that selected NRNs have taken to self-assessment.
- Potential Tools for Supporting NRN Self-Assessment is a collection of guidance documents provided for self-assessment of activities in NGO and socials change networks which contain practical examples and advice that could be also relevant to NRN self-assessment.
- Principles and practice of networking provides resources and further reading on the background to, and key issues for, setting up and running the NRNs.
- NRN Tool-kit is a dynamic on-line resource that aims to address the information / guidance needs of network support units (NSUs), Managing Authorities (MAs) and other relevant NRN stakeholders for strengthening and enhancing EAFRD-financed rural networks.
- Guidance on Design of Surveys, Questionnaires and Feedback Forms makes available some general guidance documents for NRNs on preparing surveys for collecting and assessing the views and opinions of stakeholders and participants in various networking activities.
The Added Value of Networking: Examples 2007-2013
Find below examples of network activity, relevant case studies and stories of successful networking.
- Building common understanding of common policies provides examples of the range of methods and techniques used by NRNs to bringing groups, organisations and individuals together to develop a shared understanding of policy, both vertically and horizontally across stakeholder groups.
- Effective involvement of stakeholders provides examples of range of methods and techniques used by NRNs to involve existing and potential stakeholder groups in aspects of the RDP which are most relevant to them.
- Support for cooperation and joint actions provides success stories that illustrate how the NRNs have supported people, groups and organisations to identify potential partners, develop ideas together and work collectively to deliver joint projects.
- Facilitating exchange of practice and experience is a collection of applied in practice useful learning tools for other stakeholders, presented in an appropriate fashion and making them available to a wide audience.
- Exchange of experience and know-how is a collection of networking practices for enabling and facilitating people, groups and organisations to share their knowledge and expertise using both face-to-face contact and a range of remote tools.
- Support for cooperation and joint actions is a collection of ‘networking stories’ that illustrate how the NRNs have supported people, groups and organisations to identify potential partners, develop ideas together and work collectively to deliver joint project.
- The ENRD’s “Added value of networking” online resource is a mix of network success stories that provide examples of the NRNs everyday activities and the added value they bring to rural development policy. The stories have been categorised by type and by the key networking elements they have delivered:
Preparation for 2014-2020
Follow this page for useful tools and resources with regard networking in the 2014-2020 programming period. Relevant information will be added as soon as it is available.
- The NRN Guidebook – Networks in Transition [PDF ] is developed with the particular purpose to help networks NRNs in their preparation and transition to 2014-2020 by providing “one-stop-shop” for all relevant networking resources developed during the 2007-2013 programming period.
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Draft guidance document (dated 20/01/2014) for the establishment and operation of National Rural Networks [PDF ] in the 2014-2020 programming period. The guidance provides recommendations based on the assessment of NRN activities during 2007-2013 carried out by the ENRD.
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The ENRD’s collection of practical examples titled the "Added value of networking - future network tasks", supports NRN preparation for the 2014-2020 programming period and for the implementation of tasks as defined in Regulation (EU) Nº 1305/2013. The examples are divided into four categories:
- Best of Italian National Rural Network is a selection of some of the best products of the Italian NRN from the 2007-2013 programming period that is intended to serve as a point of reference for all actors involved in rural networking.
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Presentation by the European Commission [PDF ] at the 19th National Rural Networks meeting organised on 12 September 2013 in Gdansk, Poland, providing initial guidelines on networking in the 2014-2020 programming period.
- The “2014 NRN Mapping Report: NRNs in transition” [PDF ] (January 2014) summarises the main results of the NRN mapping exercise conducted by the ENRD CP with the aim to gain a better understanding of the expected rural NSUs organization and operational set-up in the 2014-2020 programming period.
- The NSU Training Programme Module 6 “Networking for Innovation in the 2014-2020 RDPs” was initiated and hosted by the Vlaams Ruraal Netwerk (Flemish Rural Network) on 18-19 March 2014 in Ghent, Belgium. The peer-to-peer training event brought together representatives of the NRNs, DG AGRI, the ENRD Contact Point, the EIP-AGRI Service Point and other interested organisations. During the discussions participants could:
- build a common understanding of how NRNs can promote and support a culture of innovation amongst rural stakeholders in accordance with Article 54 of EAFRD Regulation;
- explore and clarify how the ENRD, EIP-AGRI network and NRNs can work most effectively together on innovation in 2014-2020;
- share existing relevant examples of ‘networking for innovation’; and
- consider specific activities that can be included in the future annual work plans (AWPs) of NRNs.
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The evaluation of Scottish National Rural Network (SNRN) and Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP) Communications Plan [PDF ] assesses both the operational effectiveness of the SNRN and the implementation of the SRDP Communications Plan, providing recommendations for the Scottish Rural Development Plan in the period 2014-2020.
