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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 relevance of EU Rural Development policy to wider societal challenges and the practical opportunities to deliver the greatest positive impact on the ground. It focuses on responses to the challenges of limited rural broadband internet access, global climate change and the current refugee crisis. It goes on to explore some of the new and developing EU policy tools: multi-funded CLLD; the European Fund for Strategic Investments; and the RDP Cooperation Measure.

This issue is dedicated to the theme of ‘improving RDP implementation’ and aims to help RDP authorities and other rural development stakeholders understand and focus on important RDP requirements and implementation tools. It addresses issues such as keeping RDPs focused on their agreed outcomes, simplifying their implementation, boosting financial performance, and launching Operational Groups.

This issue examines the importance of stakeholder involvement in rural development and the methods that can be used to support it. It provides information and guidance on the main types of stakeholder groups in rural development, the EU legal basis of stakeholder involvement and ways in which it can contribute to rural development policy. The issue provides examples of good stakeholder involvement.

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.

The United Nations has declared 2014 the International Year of Family Farming, the primary aim of which is to promote, develop and strengthen all types of family-oriented agriculture as a socially valuable, economically viable and environmentally sustainable model.

Innovation is at the heart of the Europe 2020 strategy, which aims to promote smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. Today, European farmers are faced with the dual challenges of having not only to produce more, but also to do so in a sustainable manner. The reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) sees innovation as a key driver of sustainable agriculture and rural development.

Rural Europe plays a central role in the provision of environmental services such as preserving biodiversity, contributing to climate regulation—by reducing emissions and sequestering carbon, protecting water quality and availability, preserving soil functionality and air quality, reinforcing resilience to flooding and/or fire and maintaining landscape values.

Networking is a policy instrument within the framework of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) – otherwise known as Pillar 2 of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Experience shows that networks are an effective means of informing, inspiring and empowering local people in rural communities.

Rural development Financial Instruments: opportunities, experiences and challenges for the implementation of EU Rural Development policy.