Kozard Apple Valley Rural Development: The Beginning: 1998 Building local farms:

1. Implementation of Integrated Rural Development in Organic Interaction with LEADER Programme in North Hungary „Adult Education for Rural Development – Inspirations from Europe” (Rural Leaders Autumn Workshop) Starbienino, Poland, 08. 11.2009 Dr. Pal Hajas (Euragro, Hungary)

2. Kozard Apple Valley Rural Development: • The Beginning: 1998 • Building local farms: • 1999-2001: Apricots, plum, almond, black currant plantation • 2001-2006: Apple, pear, cherry plantation

3. Kozard Apple Valley Rural Development: • Continuation: 2001-2007 • Professional production, precise plant protection • Establishment of a fruit cold storage • Corporate/joint marketing

4. Kozard Apple Valley Rural Development: • Logo, trade mark for the region and for the primary product

5. Kozardi Apple Valley Rural Development: • Continuation: 2001-2007 • Water harvesting/drip irrigation – fishing… • Local fruit processing (real jams, palinka distillery, fruit drying)

6. Kozardi Apple Valley Rural Development: • Integration with AgroTourism: 2002-2007 • Festivals in the Kozard Apple Valley (15,000 visitors annually) • Apple Flower Festival • Apricot Festival • Hungarian Flavours – Hungarian Colours Gastronomy and Fruit Festival

7. Kozard Apple Valley Rural Development: • Contact with Rural Development Cycle: 2004-2007 • Euragro RD Office (Innovation, National „Baross” project) • The encouraging role of Kozard Municipality • Participation in the EU LEADER: Local products programme

8. Kozardi Apple Valley Rural Development: • Past-Present-Future: 2009---??? • Plantation correction • Drastic signals of the climate change (early and very late hail storms, frost damage) – possible solutions • Hail protection net and frost protection irrigation • Completion of cold storage

9. Kozardi Apple Valle Rural Development: • Past-Present-Future: 2009---??? • More machinery to replace diminishing labour force! – Serious social issue • Reinforced area marketing essential • More emphasis on local processing (natural juice, drying) • Searching for new finance, investors

10. Regional Project • ROP 3.1.3 (Regional Operational Program) • To improve the regional human potential • To improve the regional economy, civil and public integration • To prepare strategy for new integrated development projects

11. Community Inspired Rural Development • Development in Kozard Municipality • Small community (180 people) – Grand vision • Systematic approach • Merging local and EU resources

12. Reményteljes Falumegújítás Budapest 80 km Salgótarján 40 km Hatvan 30 km Pásztó 12 km Hollókő 12 km Where we are? In the South Cserhát Opposite to Mátra Hills 2002-2008

13. Reményteljes Falumegújítás Pásztó Micro Region Nógrád county 2002-2008

14. Reményteljes Falumegújítás Six years - 36 project appl. 22 projects 1 Billion Ft dev. 600 Million Ft project funds 2002-2008

15. Reményteljes Falumegújítás Our aims: Development of local economy Community cohesion Preservation of culture and tradition Formation of future strat. 2002-2008

16. Reményteljes Falumegújítás 2002-2008

17. Community Inspired Rural Development • Problems: • Aeging population • Declining population • Wornt-off infrastructures • Environmental problems • Low level subsidies • Financial constraints

18. Community Inspired Rural Development • Dilemmas: • Only pleasant, healthy population and • functioning settlement/village can create good living space for young generation • Important: arrange right ranking of tasks (social, cultural ranks)?

19. Community Inspired Rural Development • Discoveries: • For strengthening community cohesion you need special infrastructures, which are • Accepted by the population, • They are proud of them, • They show them to friends, relatives with pleasure, • Receive visitor with goodwill.

20. Community Inspired Rural Development • Our steps: • Community opinion survey • Architecture and artist-friends mobilisation • Prepare village development plan • Preparation of projects • Launching project applications • Searching for financial resources

21. Community Inspired Rural Development • Supporting environment: • Empowering local agricultural enterprises • Euragro Rural Development Project Office • South-Cserhát LEADER+ community (15 vill.) • 2007-2013 Rural development and LEADER LAG (26 community) • Cserhát Regional „Palóc” Tourism Cluster • Partnership in transnational projects

22. Community Inspired Rural Development • Results: • Slow down of negative demographic trends: stop migration, boost inhabitants • Attract new settlers to come in the village, • Generate new employment opportunities in local agriculture farms and fruit orchards: Kozard „imports” work force from surrounding villages and rural towns. • Unemployment ended • European Good Practice developed

23. Community Inspired Rural Development Our Answers: Sewage canalisation and purification plant. Cultural and spiritual village community centre: (new church, conference, gallery and theatre, bell tower, look-out terrace, statue park), market place, chidrens’ playground, open theatre stage, festival ground New bridges, guesthouses, restaurants Newly paved streets, bus-stops buildings.

24. Community Inspired Rural Development • Our Results: • Creation of a nice, attractive village centre • Since 2003: Kozard festivals, cultural programs (10,000-15,000 visitors annually). • Dynamic communication (hundreds of media appearances): Kozard is known by the region, in Hungary and in Europe • Since 2006: seven international conference choosed Kozard for location. • Regional winner in National Dev. Plan

25. Community Inspired Rural Development • Our Visitors: • Since 2003: Six Ministerial visits, (South Africa, Denmark, Sweden, Catalonia, France, Thailand) • Mayors and Civil Groups from Italy, Sweden, Poland, Transsylvania/Romania, Netherland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Slovakia • Since 2006: national events organized. • 16 European LEADER delegations • University and High School students

26. Community Inspired Rural Development • Our Participations: • Travel fairs, Agri-Expos, LEADER EXPO, Budapest Tourism and Rural Festivals • Regional and international conferences • Svedish Village Rehabilitation Forum, „Flavours of Europe” - Rome-Italy, Spanish Food Exhibition, „Terra Madre” Forum in Torino, Italy • European Tourism and Eurocitizen: (Italy, France, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium.)

27. Community Inspired Rural Development • Transfer of good practices: • Local meetings, presentations • National and international conferences, trainings • Printed and electronic media, TV, radio, local tourism publications • Internet portals: • www.kozard.hu * www.euragro.hu * www.zoldpiheno.hu * www.agroservice.hu * www.cserhatalja.eu

28. Community Inspired Rural Development • New steps: • Palóc Gallery – Touristic Information Point, Local products and Souvenir sales, • New EU-funded „village image” improvement projects: create better „touristic look” • New centre for micro-regional services • Renovation of feather roads, village pavements • Turistic projects (Mária pilgrimage trail: Bosnia, Medugorje – Czestochowa, Poland) • Regional Innovation/ Economic Dev. Centre • Alternative energy project preparation

29. Community Inspired Rural Development • Difficulties: • Extremely slow release of project subsidies by the Paying Agency • Deterioration in the supporting economic environment – struggle against corruption • Negative impact of the economic crisis • Slow down of community activities • Need for alternative plans • Reinforcing trust and hope

30. Thank you – Arrivederci - Au revoir