Rural development policies. Issues, modalities and strategies

Abstract

The prospect of a new version of the second pillar of the Common Agricultural Policy (for the period 2007-2013) financed by the EAFRD (European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development) and the development of the French national strategic program that accompanies it make the debate on the aims and means of rural development topical. While explaining this policy, this special issue is devoted more generally to the theme of rural development and to the contributions that research can make to the understanding of its mechanisms, its monitoring and its effects. Through the nineteen articles presented, the Cemagref teams and their partners provide analyses that highlight the issues facing rural actors, development processes, public action levers, and monitoring tools, while also highlighting the limits of possible or planned interventions.