European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD)

The EU’s rural development policy helps the rural areas of the EU to meet the wide range of challenges and opportunities that face them in the 21st century – economic, environmental and social.

The EAFRD is a funding mechanism under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and it has a budget of €95.57 billion. In line with Europe 2020 and the overall CAP, the rural development policy is revolved around three cross-cutting objectives:

• competitiveness of agriculture
• the sustainable management of natural resources and climate action
• the balanced territorial development of rural areas

In order to effectively manage rural development policy through Rural Development Programmes (RDPs), these three objectives are supported by six key priorities:

• knowledge transfer and innovation in agriculture, forestry, and rural areas
• enhancing the competitiveness of all types of agriculture and enhancing farm viability
• promoting food chain organisation and risk management in agriculture
• restoring, preserving and enhancing ecosystems dependent on agriculture and forestry
• promoting resource efficiency and supporting the shift toward a low-carbon and climate-resilient economy in agriculture, food and forestry sectors
• promoting social inclusion, poverty reduction and economic development in rural areas.