01 de July de 2016
Greater social participation and quality in rural areas
June 14, 2016
One hundred participants discussed improving social participation and governance in rural development programs during the 2014-2020 period.
At the conference on "Participation and Governance in Rural Areas," held on July 4 at the headquarters of the General Directorate of Rural Development and Forestry Policy of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment (MAGRAMA), the foundations for improving social participation and governance in rural development were analyzed.
This meeting, organized by the National Rural Network and proposed by the Rural Action Forum (FAR), brought together around 100 stakeholders involved in governance and social participation in rural areas. The goal was to work together and present innovative ideas that will advance greater and more active participation in programs funded by EU funds.
José Manuel Hernández López, representative of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Agriculture, highlighted the importance of Local Action Groups in participatory processes.
Ana Vicente Rangel, from the Subdirectorate for Rural Development Promotion of the General Directorate of MAGRAMA, presented the role of social participation in the development of the National Rural Development Program (PNDR). Víctor Gonzálvez Pérez, technical director of the SEAE, also spoke on behalf of the group of proponents of the event.
Regarding the involvement of social stakeholders, Enrique Nieto, representative of the European Network for Rural Development (ENRD), highlighted the importance of the "hidden voices" of rural areas, such as immigrants, women, and young people. Marion Hammerl illustrated good governance with an example from the Baden-Württemberg region of Germany.
Lucía Martínez García-Denche, representative of the National Rural Network (RRN) of the General Subdirectorate of Farm Modernization of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Livestock (MAGRAMA), presented the new website of the National Rural Network as a tool that has considerably facilitated community participation. This portal is an informational and work tool, open to the public, and also offers the opportunity to participate in closed forums specific to various projects and topics.
Jesús Casas Grande, Director General of Rural Development of the Principality of Asturias, and José Antonio Maqueda, Head of Service of the Autonomous Community of Madrid, along with representatives from the Local Action Groups of Castilla-La Mancha (ADAC) and Castilla y León (ARADUEY-CAMPOS), presented their experiences with social participation. Casas stated that the governance and participation model represents a new way of organizing management and decision-making in rural areas.
During the session, the FAR proposed the creation of a National Rural Development Working Group to improve participatory processes for monitoring rural development plans, as well as the creation of a State Rural Environment Roundtable, with the aim of improving governance and participation in rural development policy.
As conclusions to this workshop, José Manuel Delgado, UPA; Inés Jordana, SEO/Birdlife; and Celsa Peiteado, WWF-Spain, all members of the FAR, outlined the golden rules for participation: the need to identify and find innovative solutions to problems that impede quality participation, facilitate channels for dialogue, electronic tools, and fair deadlines for all stakeholders, and grant equal status, rights, and voting rights to all. These rules also address the need to provide members with ongoing training. Finally, they propose periodic analyses to assess the level and quality of participation.
Aurelio García Bermúdez, president of REDR, praised the event and emphasized that citizen participation is a requirement of the EAFRD Regulation for those responsible for and beneficiaries of financial aid financed by the European Structural and Investment Funds. He also emphasized that the goal of all this work is to improve the quality of life of rural residents.