Rural communities in Romania face a double challenge. On one hand, they are trying to recover their old identity after decades of communist attempts to destroy the essence of the Romanian village. On the other, they are trying to modernise in the way that has transformed many European villages into prosperous communities.
The most effective tools to help Romanian villages achieve both these goals are the Local Action Groups, LAGs. They bring together public actors, such as town halls and local councils of the localities involved, entrepreneurs and civil society. LAGs are already very successful, for example, Napoca – Porolissum LAG, Poarta Transilvaniei LAG and Lider Bistrița-Năsăud LAG.
The latter has found an excellent method for mobilising young people in rural communities: LEADER Talks, an annual event organised by a Local Action Group in partnership with the National Federation PRO AGRO. The conference is a unique opportunity to come together and explore new perspectives, ideas and innovative solutions in the field of rural development and multifund strategies.
LEADER Talks brings together national experts, representatives of local and national authorities, business and civil society organisations to discuss the challenges and opportunities we face in implementing the LEADER programme and in sustainable rural development.
Among the topics addressed at the conference are:
*Social innovation in LEADER
*How to build a multifund strategy
*Challenges and solutions in LEADER: Circular economy and sustainability of rural areas/Rural tourism and valorisation of local resources
*The role of young people in rural community development : Rural community development and youth involvement/ How technology can help us to benefit rural communities/ GBT chat and how ethical is it in composing school materials; should AI generated art be treated as traditional art?
*The future of the rural environment: AKIS – the knowledge and innovation network in agriculture/How can technology and innovation contribute to the development and modernisation of the agricultural sector and other rural industries/ How can we protect and conserve the environment and biodiversity in the rural environment, especially in the face of climate change and land degradation?
