The Mayor of Totana, Andrés García, attended today the "Leader initiative, dynamizing the rural territory", in which Totana is part of the Local Action Groups that make up the Society for Rural Development "Integral" and the Association for Rural Development "Campoder".
The director general of Agricultural Funds and Rural Development, Carmen Maria Sandoval, presented the day, which took place in the hall of the Ministry of Water, Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries;
and that has had the assistance of numerous regidores of other murcian municipalities participating.
During the day the Leader initiative was presented and the territories included therein, as well as the regulatory bases and the calls of each group;
and several success stories have been reviewed in the 2007-2013 programming.
Participatory local development through Leader is to cede the planning initiative to local communities, which, organized in associations as Local Action Groups, develop and implement a Participatory Local Development Strategy for a given territory using their resources.
This bottom-up approach implies a greater involvement of the population in solving the common problems that affect them and a greater commitment in the actions they project, resulting in an increase in local governance.
The projects that can be subsidized in these calls should focus on the creation of employment, improvement of the quality of life, maintenance of the rural heritage, care of the environment or gender equality.
The budget for these calls is 10.98 million euros.
The beneficiaries of Leader calls are any natural or legal person who develops an activity or is going to develop it within the Leader territory and is in line with the Local Development Strategy approved for this territory.
This program will allow to maintain the investment in the rural areas of the Region of Murcia directed especially to strengthen the agricultural sector and its transformation industry, sustainable agriculture and forestry, and economic activities in the towns.
The Rural Development Network of the Region of Murcia was created last March to bring together the four local action groups of the Region.
The objective of this network is to promote and promote projects related to the local and rural development of the four associated territories, in addition to improving the management and coordination of the groups that compose it.
Actions that are being carried out include collaboration agreements with regional and national administrations, as well as with other public and private entities, to take advantage of the potential of the rural environment.
Leader 2014-2020 projects need to make efficient use of the natural resources of the environment, as well as contribute to the restoration and preservation of cultural, historical, architectural and environmental heritage.
It is also planned to improve the attractiveness and services available in rural areas, and this will continue to promote the development of local basic infrastructure and services in rural areas, including leisure and culture, village rehabilitation and activities aimed at restoring and improve the cultural and natural heritage of rural towns and landscapes.
