dr Karol Janas

Institute of Urban DevelopmentCentral and East European Development Studies Department30-015 Kraków, ul. Cieszyńska 2, Poland

kjanas@irm.krakow.pl

The Leader method – transferring V4 experiences to GeorgiaProject seminar in Tbilisi, 5 March 2015

Georgian Foundation For Strategic and International Studies

The Leader ApproachCommunity-Led Local Development

aims and principles

WHAT THE LEADER IS ?

• An element of the EU rural development policy

• An instrument for co-funding local development initiatives

• A tool to activate local actors and organizations in order to achieve common goals

• A networking mechanism, boosting territory based cross-sectorial cooperation

sym

plifi

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Lead

er

Ap

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1. Local Action Group formation

2. Preparation of the Local Development Strategy

3. Aplication for funding

4. Local Development Strategy implementation

5. Community-Led Local Development in rural area

THE LEADER APPROACH 7 PRINCIPLES

1.The Bottom Up approach

2.The area based approach

3.The Local Action Group

4.The Innovative approach

5.Integrated & Multi sectoral approach

6.Networking

7.Cooperation

THE BOTTOM-UP APPROACH

• local actors participate in decision-making abouttheir local area&community

• Capacity building is an essential component

• Participation should extend throughout the implementation process

• the bottom-up approach should not be considered as alternative or opposed to top-down approaches- it’s complementary!

THE AREA BASED APPROACH

• A small, homogenous, socially cohesive territory

• Actions tailored more precisely to suit real needs and local competitive advantage

• area chosen must have sufficient coherence and critical mass in terms of human, financial and economic resources to support a viable local development strategy

• the area must be small enough to be cohesive and large enough to ensure that development can be generated from within the area

THE LOCAL ACTION GROUP (LAG)

• The LAG has the task of identifying and implementing a local development strategy

• LAG should include representatives of all sectors of the region in which it operates, i.e.:

• professional organisations and unions (representing farmers, non-farming professionals and micro-enterprises),

• trade associations, citizens,• residents and their local organisations,• local political representatives,• environmental associations,• cultural and community service providers, including the media,• women's associations,• young people.

THE INNOVATIVE APPROACH

• innovation is encouraged by allowing LAGs wide margins of freedom and flexibility in making decisions about the actions they want to support

• Innovation in rural areas may imply the transfer and adaptation of innovations developed elsewhere

INTEGRATED & MULTI SECTORAL APPROACH

• The actions and projects contained in local strategies (LDS) should be linked and coordinated as a coherent whole

• Integration between sectors and actors is a fundamental element of the LEADER approach

NETWORKING

• Exchange of achievements, experiences and know-how between LEADER groups, rural areas, administrations and organisations involved in rural development

• Networking forges links between people, projects and rural areas and so can help overcome the isolation faced by some rural regions

COOPERATION

• Cooperation projects are not just simple exchanges of experiences. They must involve a concrete joint project

• Cooperation involves a local action group undertaking a joint project with another LEADER group, or with a group taking a similar approach, in another region or even country

• Cooperation can help LEADER groups to boost their local activities

IS THE LEADER APPROACH SUITABLE FOR GEORGIA?

NO DOUBTS !There is a need for that and there are people ready to take responsibility for the development of their rural communities

BUT... It must be carefully tailored to the Georgian realms

It should be focused on capacity building first

dr Karol Janas

Institute of Urban DevelopmentCentral and East European Development Studies30-015 Kraków, ul. Cieszyńska 2, Poland

kjanas@irm.krakow.pl

The Leader method – transferring V4 experiences to GeorgiaProject seminar in Tbilisi, 5 March 2015

Georgian Foundation For Strategic and International Studies

The Leader ApproachAims and Basic Principles

Thank you For your attention!