LEADER funding is available to local businesses, communities, farmers, foresters and land managers. LEADER is part of the RDPE. It is a French acronym (Liaison Entre Actions de Développement de l’Économie Rurale) which roughly translates as ‘Liaison among Actors in Rural Economic Development’.
A LAG is made up of people from the local community and the local public and private sector. Each LAG decides which projects they will fund in their area. This depends on their priorities but all projects must support one or more of the 6 LEADER priorities. These are to:
- support micro and small businesses and farm diversification
- support micro and small businesses and farm diversification
- boost rural tourism
- increase farm productivity
- increase forestry productivity
- provide rural services
- provide cultural and heritage activities
The Rhynd Café was chosen by LEADER as one of their projects in 2016, and it has played an extremely important part in the launch of the Café.