Background

The Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) was launched in the region on 4th February 2008. The Programme will provide financial support for a wide range of activities in rural areas including environmental stewardship, skills development, farming and forestry diversification, resource management, renewable energy supply chains and community-led development. 
 
The RDPE is a seven-year programme (2007-2013), which is worth £3.9 billion overall, jointly funded by the EU and national Government. It is part of the Common Agricultural Policy. It aims to support and promote sustainable farming, forestry and food sectors, and also to bring wider benefits for the economy, the environment and rural communities.  
 
The new EU Regulation divides its aims into three main areas, which it calls Axes:

• Axis 1 - improving the competitiveness of the farming and forestry sectors (10% of the total budget).
• Axis 2 - improving the environment and countryside (80% of the total budget - mostly to be invested in existing national schemes such as Environmental Stewardship and English Woodland Grant Scheme).
• Axis 3 - improving the quality of life in rural areas and promoting diversification of the rural economy (10% of the total budget).

The EU rules also say that at least 5% of the overall budget must be channelled through the 'Leader' approach. This is a community-led approach to development, which we are calling Local Action in the South West.

The Role of the RDAs

The Government has asked Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) to manage Axes 1 and 3, and Local Action, because our remit for promoting a sustainable regional economy has a lot in common with the aims of the regulation. Natural England and the Forestry Commission are managing the environmental elements of the programme, namely Axis 2. In the South West, all three organisations are working closely together so that the different elements of the programme are co-ordinated and complementary.

Budget

The budget in the South West for these parts of the programme is £156.8 million. Of this amount, £55 million has been reserved for investments benefiting Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in recognition of its status as a Convergence area.

The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development: Europe investing in rural areas