Rural development

Most countries in the world face the problem of rural depopulation. People move to urban centers that for different reasons appear to offer more opportunities and higher living standards. Rural development contributes to balancing differences in opportunities and living standards between urban centers and rural communities. Rural development for income and job prospects will continue to depend on extraction or use of natural resources and processes.  Therefore, agriculture and prospects for production and marketing of agricultural products remain central issues for rural development. However, rural development also seeks to diversify income opportunities and retain components of value chains in rural areas. This can be achieved by unlocking opportunities in the tourism and recreation sector,  support to marketing and processing and thereby by fostering and providing opportunities for small business of all kinds.