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This issue of the EU Rural Review showcases rural communities across Europe taking the initiative to find practical solutions to challenges they face and seize new opportunities.

It explores how digital and social innovation can be used in new, creative ways to improve basic services in rural areas. It further looks at national and regional approaches to creating an enabling environment, as well as how the Rural Development Programmes can catalyse rural service innovation.

The content of this edition has been informed by the broader ENRD thematic work on ‘Smart Villages’.

This issue focuses on opportunities for “improving competitiveness of primary producers by better integrating them into the agri-food chain” – one of the Focus Areas of EU Rural Development policy.

The publication provides an overview of the various means for adding value in food and drink supply chains. It goes on to explore major market opportunities for rural producers in terms of: increasing the rural market; improving access to urban markets; and accessing the market for public food.

The publication stresses the importance of targeted strategies for supporting smarter supply chains using effective links with research and the Rural Development Programmes (RDPs).

This issue highlights the value of the organic approach to agriculture and the rural economy, as well as its wider societal and environmental benefits. It further provides insight into the evolving European policy landscape - including a detailed profile of the European Commission’s Action Plan on the Future of Organic Production in Europe - and the course it is setting for the future of the sector.

A closer look at how EU agriculture and rural development policy help promote rural entrepreneurship.

The role of EU agriculture and rural development policies in the delivery of public goods in rural areas throughout Europe.

This issue of the EU Rural Review showcases some of the different types of innovation and creativity from EU rural areas.