• The group acts as a network for the exchange of experiences and information among the Local Action Groups (LAG) of Andalusia.
• ARA covers 51 rural areas in Andalusia and 4 million potential beneficiaries of LEADER aid.

Rural development in Andalusia has been marked for decades by two fundamental elements: the LEADER approach and the Local Action Groups ( LAGs ) (known as Rural Development Groups (RDGs) in Andalusia), through which actions are carried out that allow the autonomous community to develop strategies, make decisions, and allocate specialized resources for each of its regions. However, this work involves a third fundamental actor: the Andalusian Association for Rural Development ( ARA ) .

This association has been serving all stakeholders in the region's rural development for 30 years , serving as the coordinator of the GALs and the driving force behind the LEADER program, which aims to facilitate communication between the GALs and the Andalusian Regional Government. It also participates in a wide variety of other tasks, including collaboration with the National Rural Network ( RRN ).

30th anniversary

The association held the event "ARA, 30 Years of Rural Value in Andalusia" on March 16 in Écija (Seville). All GALs and a wide variety of stakeholders involved in rural development were invited to participate.

“The European LEADER funds, managed by the Local Action Groups, have provided participation, autonomy, and diversified the economies of our towns,” said David Javier García Ostos, president of ARA and mayor of Écija, who also highlighted the role of the Local Action Groups as those “best aware of the needs of the rural population.”

The event featured the presentation of eight rural entrepreneurship projects supported by LEADER and an audiovisual series entitled "Rural Value ." The "Écija Manifesto for Rural Development" was also presented, and a plaque of recognition was awarded to the 47 GALs that make up the Andalusian GAL network, along with the Andalusian Coordinator of Rural Women's Organizations ( COAMUR ), the Spanish Rural Development Network ( REDR ), the Asturian Rural Development Network ( READER ), and the Castilla-La Mancha Network ( RECAMDER ).

LEADER figures

At its inception in 1993, just two years after LEADER, ARA coordinated only nine LAGs, but its history has allowed it to reach 47 groups in 51 different areas . It supports them in their representation before the authorities, informs and assists in drafting collaboration agreements with provincial councils, while also coordinating and creating working groups and helping to provide visibility. This makes it one of the largest rural development networks in Europe, with 4 million potential beneficiaries of LEADER aid in 713 rural municipalities.

Its activities extend to training , serving as a forum for knowledge transfer and an advisory service for LAGs. Furthermore, ARA also conducts research , analyzing and monitoring rural policies by creating a bank of model projects and carrying out feasibility studies on technological innovation needs. Finally, it participates in rural development networks at the national and supra-regional levels, providing a means of transferring results and information from LAGs outside Andalusia and strengthening communication and cooperation with national networks such as the RRN.

In the LEADER period 2023-2027, ARA acts as a unifying agent by designing and analyzing the framework of rural development policies at the community level, monitoring the normative corpus, evaluating the Multiannual Financial Framework and the Next Generation EU initiative , participating in the LEADER Working Subgroup of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. and organizing webinars on the new community frameworks.