Rural Innnovation and Development

Europe´s rural areas are in a state of fundamental change. More and more, affluent societies within the EU are demanding quality of life, to enjoy clean, natural surroundings. The decrease in income through liberalisation and globalisation, and the general lack of perspective in agriculture as a career is prompting sizeable numbers of the rural population to seek better opportunities in the cities. This in turn decreases the quality of life in rural areas, creating a vicious circle of rural decline. Whereas the proportion of these tendencies may be different in different parts of the continent, the similarities in the problems resulting are striking. The European Union states have realised this and are increasingly formulating a joint approach to this problem. Resources are being allocated to a number of alternatives for the traditional role of the countryside and to alleviate the pressure on the inhabitants to move to urban areas. With varying degrees of success, rural viability initiatives are now under way throughout Europe.
What is offered?This course trains implementers of the rural change and innovation mentioned here, either on a supranational, a national, or regional or local level. The type of rural development usually associated with development cooperation in tropical areas is not the prime target of this course. There are many similarities obviously, and often the difference is a matter of mere finance, or climate, or opportunity, or scale.
Successful graduates will be competent in the following areas of expertise:
o Interpersonal: Leading, Negotiating, Networking, Intercultural skills
o Job-oriented: Problem analysis, Practical research, Planning and organising, Decisiveness,Flexible behaviour, Initiative.
o Intrapersonal: Handling stress, Ability to adapt to new situations, Learning capacity.