The multifunctional countryside

1
The multi-functional countryside

• New economic acitivity and social changes -
  challenges for development

2
General transformations of the countryside (I)

• from production countryside to consumption
  countryside
• regional diversification specialisation,
  Närpes Greenhouse Valley
• Finland
• rural municipalities close to urban areas
  rural heartland municipalities
• sparsely populated rural municipalities

3
General transformations of the countryside (II)

• complex demographic change
• a) continuous urbanisation
• b) important counter-urbanisation
• c) age bound migration flows
• The most favourable development has occurred in
  rural municipalities close to urban areas where
  the number of inhabitants has increased rapidly
  
• blurred border between urban and rural rurban
  lifestyles
  
  

4
Countryside in EU agricultural policy

• De-coupling of support from specific production
  (more product neutral support)
• National strategies of implementation of new CAP
• Gradual decrease of agricultural support
  increase of rural development (for ex
  environment, entrepreneurial activities)
• from Pillar I to Pillar II (rur.dev.) support

5
New agricultural structure

• A. Industrialised, large scale commercial
  agriculture increase in number area
• C. Small scale rurban peasant living
• increased number can be seen in statistics
  from Sweden
• B. Middle scale family farming will decrease
• or be transformed to A or C

6
Industries for countryside as the new green
sector

• The traditional agricultural production will be
  more concentrated while the new green sector will
  expand (Almås 2006)
• EU support system will move in this direction

7
New green sector challenges

• The diversified new green sector
• a) green food sector
• b) green service sector
• green tourism, experience industry, new equine
  industry, green care, green local service
  industry
• c) green landscape providing
• d) green energy sector

8
Environment public good(s)

• Sweden environmental quality objectives
• (5 examples out of 15)
• Fertile forests
• Rich culture landscape
• Biodiversity
• No eutrocifaction
• Low impact on climate change

9
Learnings from Närpes

• Is the green rural development vision relevant in
  Nordic countries?
• Which rural districts can in reality relay on
  green rural development?
• Närpes a rural heartland municipality
• 9430 inhab. 2006 90 km south from Vasa

10
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11
Economic activity

• Growth in number of jobs
• 1995-2004 204
• 2000-2004 66

12
Demographic challenge

• In migration needed both of demographical and
  working market reasons
• Where find new workers?
• Närpes immigration from several countries,
  mainly Bosnia

13
The green sector key in Närpes?

• Economic miniclusters in Närpes
• -metal manufacture
• -green house
• -growing service sector without green service
  market?

14
A gendered working market

• Male agriculture manufacturing
• Female in service sectors education