NRN INFORMATION

The French National Rural Network

France’s National Rural Network facilitates relationships between actors in rural areas, supports the design of integrated projects and improves the quality and expertise of projects. The French National Rural Network was officially launched in December 2008, in Bordeaux, although it has been operational since April 2008.

The National Network Support Unit (NSU) has been outsourced and appointed through a call for tender in May 2010.

The French National Rural Network (NRN) is structured on two levels with one overall national network and 26 regional networks (21 on the mainland, one in Corsica and one in each of the overseas territories).

The NRN has three objectives:

• To facilitate relationships between actors in rural areas;
• To support the design of integrated projects;
• To improve the quality and expertise of projects.

The French NRN aims to be a vehicle for responding to actors’ concerns and adjusting its actions to their needs. The network is largely technical in orientation, targeted at concrete operational actions relating to the Development Programmes (RDPs).

Read more about the organisational structure of the Network [PDF ]

Network Participants

The rural network is open to all rural development actors who are concerned with the four axes of the country’s RDPs, represented at national and regional level: actors from agriculture, forestry and agribusiness, environmental associations and socio-economic actors, such as consular chambers, as well as very small and small and medium-sized enterprises. The organised territories, natural regional parks and local communities are also members of the network as well as the LAGs, elected representatives and research institutions.

NRN Activities

The priority themes selected for NRN action are: ‘attractiveness of territories’, ‘management of rural areas’, ‘services in rural areas’, and ‘rural entrepreneurship’. The theme ‘attractiveness of territories’ is further divided into three sub-themes: land management; attraction or preservation of populations in rural areas; and valuation of local economic resources.

Read more about the main Priorities and Activities of the Network [PDF ]

Activities with other Networks/Countries

• Contributions to Relevant Experience Pilot Initiative
• Rural Entrepreneurship Thematic Initiative

The Network in 2014-2020 programming period

See details in the ‘NRN Mapping Report – NRNs in Transition’ (2014) [PDF ]