Countryside Exchange

1
Countryside Exchange
European Commission

• Bottom-up impulse for Rural Development
• Aly Wisse, Netherlands

2
Countryside Exchange

• Countryside Exchange
• a method that fits LEADER principles
• preparation, bottom-up lead question,
  international team recruited, 1 week visit,
  advice, publicity, follow-up
• serves a double aim
• stimulates social dynamics with the people
  involved - in - and also outside - the hosting
  area
• offers the visiting team of experts an
  interesting learning experience
• since 1987 more then 100 exchanges have taken
  place in UK and USA

3
First Countryside Exchange in NL

• Why in the Netherlands?
• to find out, if Countryside Exchange could have
  an added value in the Dutch setting of RD
• to test a bilingual exchange (english dutch)
• Try out in Noord-Beveland island
• a municipality of 7000 habitants
• 6000 hectares of agriculture land
• a lot of tourist accommodation
• in the South-West of the Netherlands
• The initiator Societeit Noord-Beveland is
  ...(bottom-up)

4
Key steps of an Exchange

• Local Organising Committee (LOC) takes the lead
• meetings to involve the Noord-Beveland community
• formulate the assignment for the international
  experts
• prepare the Exchange week program for 5 - 12
  September
• The international Expert Team is recruited and
  selected by ETC
• partners in the UK (CEI) and the USA (Glynwood)
• the CE team Noord-Beveland 2 Americans, 3
  British, 3 Dutch
• who had not met before and had an exciting
  learning process
• LOC hosts the team and guides the whole week
  visit
• Thursday the team presented advise to the
  islands community
• and visitors incl. the Min of Agriculture the
  Provincial Governor
• Saturday the team writes its draft report and
  leaves home
• Local organisers ( ETC) prepare the action plan
  for follow up

5
The core question in Noord-Beveland

• How to give an impulse to the economic
  development of the island (improve quality of
  life in the rural communities) while using and
  improving the existing qualities of the specific
  nature, landscape and scenery?
• Our experience a Countryside Exchange can give
  an impulse to the development of an area in many
  ways

6
Five working groups were formed for immediate
follow-up

•   1.    joint marketing of the island on a
• much larger scale. logo ...
• 2.    set up farmer markets with regional
  products
• Agrifair a region product market in June 2 days
  and 9 Thursdays in the summer. 3000 visitors in
  2005. www.agrifairzeeland.com
• 3. direct cooperation province
  municipalities civil orgs
• by this cooperation more subsidies (of Leader)
  to the area
• 4. National Park Oosterschelde island
  entrepreneurs
• the foundation Promotion Colijnsplaat-Kats has
  been set up
• sea boat trips with robot camera, diving courses
  with education, guided tour in the fish auction,
  special routes for bicycle or ferryboat
• 5. season lengthening for more tourists
• Internet application which workshops and hotel-
  and camping accommodation

7
Our Exchange was successful!!

•  
• The Countryside Exchange was good for
  Noord-Beveland, useful and brought us a lot of
  new cooperation bonds
• The group which organised everything, the LOC, is
  still active in the area and it has been involved
  in a lot of new initiatives
• Many impulses for economic development have
  started.
• The helicopterview of new people is good for a
  region
• The position of Societeit Noord-Beveland was
  strengthened

8
Countryside Exchange for Transnational
Cooperation

• to overcome bottlenecks in Transnat. Coop.
• to give an impulse to make quality first priority
  of area program
• In start-up phase
• to get wide international advice on key issues
  for cooperation
• to select best partner(s) for cooperation project
• Or Mid-term advice on lead question
• to monitor with fresh eyes
• to re-orient program and activities
• to initiate unexpected projects
• Potential quality impulse for mainstreaming
  Leader ...?