Getting started with the Vital Rural Areas program
We are currently working on the Vital Rural Areas program. The aim is to develop the ambitions for rural areas set out in the environmental vision. What is needed to maintain vital rural areas, now and in the future? And how are we going to do that together? Bureau LandID is supporting us in this process. We hope to present the Vital Rural Areas program to the council in 2025.
Project group
We got to work together with a project group. The project group consists of policy officers and interested parties and organizations from rural areas.
We have taken three steps to work towards a vibrant rural area for West Maas en Waal.
- We determined the topics for the program and outlined the ambitions and tasks:
- We examined current policy in this area:
- We created new policy rules.
Having coffee with farmers
In addition, in 2024 we visited 18 agricultural businesses: horticulture, arable farming, or (intensive) livestock farming. There was an equal distribution between different types of businesses and age groups.
Topics we discussed with the farmers:
- How is your business doing? What challenges are you facing? For example, when it comes to laws and regulations.
- How do you see the future of your company and the sector?
- And what solutions, opportunities, and possibilities do you see for our municipality? Also when it comes to climate adaptation, secondary functions, circular agriculture, and farmers ceasing operations.
This input has been incorporated into the draft program. The farmers received personal feedback from the meeting. They have also been invited to contribute their ideas on possible new policy rules.
What happens next?
- We will submit the draft Vital Rural Areas program to the municipal council for approval in 2025 (date subject to change).
- After that, the draft program will be available for review for six weeks.
- Everyone can then provide substantive responses.
- We will then critically review the responses and make any necessary adjustments to the Vital Rural Areas program.
- The council will adopt the Vital Rural Areas program. The date of adoption depends on the number and content of the responses.
- Once finalized, the definitive Vital Rural Areas program will be posted on our website.