Local Action Groups and the LEADER approach
Local Action Groups are public-private partnerships that operate in rural areas. They are made up of public administrations, companies and social entities from the same territory and are responsible for designing and implementing local development strategies.
These groups work within the framework of the LEADER approach, a methodology promoted by the European Union whose name comes from the French acronym Liaison Entre Actions de Développement de l’Économie Rurale, which means “links between actions for the development of the rural economy”.
LEADER states that decisions on rural development should be made from the territory itself. For this reason, LAGs develop and implement their strategies, manage European funds and select the projects that are developed in their field.
How Terralimenta intervenes
Terralimenta acts on these groups to incorporate food as a line of work in their strategies. The programme offers training, technical advice and spaces for exchange between territories.
This support allows LAGs to design specific projects, such as:
- short marketing circuits
- Local Food Transformation Initiatives
- Public Food Procurement Programs
- connection between agricultural production and local consumption
The aim is for food to become part of the rural development policies promoted by each territory.
Program Scope
Terralimenta began in 2021 with a first edition that brought together 12 Local Action Groups from different territories. In later phases, new participants have been incorporated, configuring a national network of work.
This network facilitates the exchange of experiences and the adaptation of solutions to different rural contexts.