Policy Guideline LAG MAIELLA VERDE_FINAL

POLICY GUIDELINE

Local Action Group as a public-private partnership for rural development: Insights from the Local Action Group “Maiella Verde” March 2021

Community ownership and public-private partnerships are fundamental to develop integrated bottom-up strategies in rural areas, where there is a need to respond to territorial challenges and boost processes for sustainable human development by encouraging the discovery and development of untapped potential within rural communities and territories themselves.

In this regard, this Policy Guideline draws insights from the experience of the Local Action Group “Maiella Verde”, which has been operating in the rural areas of Chieti Province in Abruzzo Region (Italy) since 1992.

Its experience is exemplary of the application of the LEADER / “Community-Led Local Development” (CLLD) approach in Italy. This approach aims at mobilising and involving rural communities and organisations to achieve smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, fostering territorial cohesion and pursuing sustainable development objectives. Indeed, LEADER / CLLD relies on Local Action Groups as political and technical bodies that are able to strengthen a local public-private partnership of actors in charge of designing and implementing a local strategy for rural development.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................. 3 1.

THE MODEL ........................................................................................................................... 5

2.

THE CASE STUDY ................................................................................................................. 6

3.

THE PROCESS ...................................................................................................................... 9 PHASE 0. TRIGGERING FACTORS ................................................................................................................. 9 PHASE 1. SET-UP OF THE LOCAL ACTION GROUP ................................................................................. 10 PHASE 2. DESIGN OF THE LOCAL STRATEGIES FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT ................................. 12 PHASE 3. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE STRATEGY AND LOCAL ACTION GROUP MANAGEMENT .. 14 SUSTAINAIBILITY ............................................................................................................................................. 16

4.

KEY DETERMINANTS FOR EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION AND REPLICABILITY ........ 17

5.

DRAWBACKS AND RISKS................................................................................................... 19

6.

FINAL REMARKS ................................................................................................................. 20

USEFUL CONTACTS .................................................................................................................... 22

This Policy Guideline was elaborated by Mario Biggeri, Andrea Ferrannini and Matteo Belletti (ARCO - Action Research for CO-development c/o PIN Scrl, University of Florence), based on inputs and information provided by Tiziano Teti and Carlo Ricci (Local Action Group “Maiella Verde”) and under the supervision of Johannes Krassnitzer, Andrea Agostinucci and Raffaella Garutti (UNDP ART Global Initiative c/o UNDP Brussels).

2

INTRODUCTION Experience-sharing and peer-to-peer learning are extremely important for promoting social and solidarity economy and social and territorial cohesion as drivers for SDG localization. The diffusion of good practices has the potential to inspire similar experiences and solutions through a multiplicative global effect on local communities.

In this regard, Italy has a long-lasting experience in implementing integrated local development initiatives concerning social and territorial cohesion and social economy in its own territories , in order to foster sustainable human development at local level. For this reason, UNDP has commissioned a research, namely the “Study on best practices of Social Cohesion and Social and Solidarity Economy in Italy”, to a team of individual consultants belonging to the research centre ARCO – Action Research for CO-development (c/o PIN Scrl, University of Florence). The study [LINK] aimed at investigating on the relevant experiences of social and solidarity economy and social and territorial cohesion in the Italian scenario. Moreover, it led to the identification of 6 case-studies that can potentially inspire similar practices and showcase replicable models to drive SDGs localization in other countries.

Therefore, the objective of the guidelines is to provide concrete policy insights and guidance to inform a multilateral / UN-level strategic visioning and programming perspective (including both UN and UNDP Country Offices as well as national policy-makers and LRGs), to implement similar initiatives in other territories, in order to promote inclusive, equitable and sustainable economic development, thus supporting the localization of the 2030 Agenda.

Against this backdrop, the 6 case studies were identified following 8 selection criteria grounded on a conceptual and interpretative framework based on the Sustainable Human Development paradigm. The latter frames social and solidarity economy and social and territorial cohesion within a territorial ecosystem perspective, leading to a variety of potential outcomes in the four pillars of Sustainable Human Development: “Equity and cohesion”, “Participation and empowerment”, “Sustainability”, “Productivity and efficiency”. Moreover, these outcomes can enhance the transformative resilience of local systems, in the sense of their ability to deal with internal and external stressors and shocks as possible opportunities for their transformative change towards Sustainable Human Development.

The identification of potential case-studies was based primarily on the triangulation of i) the expertise of the research team in these fields, ii) a desk-review of policy documentation, and particularly iii) information and insights collected during the interviews conducted with 16 prominent experts of both social and solidarity economy and social and territorial cohesion in the Italian scenario. Each pre-selected experience was then preliminary analysed on the base of available documents, in order to assess their compliance with the selection criteria.

The following 6 case-studies were selected, each leading to a specific Policy Guideline available here [LINK].

Field

Model

Case-study

CONSORTIUM OF COOPERATIVES Social and Solidarity Economy

WORK INTEGRATION SOCIAL ENTERPRISE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

Social and Territorial Cohesion

Location

Consortium “Sale della Terra” Social enterprise “Quid” Community foundation “Fondazione di Comunità di Messina”

Benevento, Campania Region (South) Verona, Veneto Region ( North)

Messina, Sicily Region (South)

LOCAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY FOR

Strategy “Milk Mountain” – Emilian

Emilian Apennines, Emilia Romagna

INNER AND FRAGILE AREAS

Apennines

Region (Centre)

LOCAL ACTION GROUP FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT TO COMMUNITY REGENERATION

Local Action Group “Maiella Verde” SIBaTer Project

Chieti province, Abruzzo Region (South) Municipalities and Regions in Southern Italy

HOW TO READ THIS GUIDELINE? 3

This guideline focuses on the model “Local Action Group as a public-private partnership to guide rural development” by drawing insights from the case-study of the Local Action Group “Maiella Verde”.

The objective of the guideline is to provide concrete policy insights and guidance in order to implement similar initiatives in other territories. However, an underlying understanding of the readers ’ local and national contexts must be acknowledged to tailor and adapt the processes and the suggestions. The latter implies that the presence of key actors and institutions, resources, social capital, infrastructures, services and institutional and legal framework which have been identified in the present guideline as determinants for the implementation of this model should be carefully analysed in each context, or, perhaps, need more time and specific actions to be set up and leveraged.

The guideline is structured as follows: 

Presentation of the model: its connection to the general approach to social and solidarity economy and social and territorial cohesion in Italy, its distinctive features and value-added.



Case study presentation: a general description of the experience and its main pursued objectives.



Theory of change: a schematic overview about how inputs, actions, outputs, outcomes and impacts are connected, in order to facilitate the planning and the implementation of similar interventions in other contexts.



The process: a detailed explanation of all the specific and sequenced phases constituting the analysed experience, drawing insights in terms of actors, resources and actions. In order to support the reader in assessing the feasibility of this model in his/her own context, a list of Suggested Actions and SelfAssessment Questions are provided. Hence, the latter are supporting tools in order to abstract key elements from the specific case-study to be applied in other contexts.



Key determinants for effective implementation and replicability: the main enabling system conditions for the applicability of each experience in different contexts.



Drawbacks and risks: a list of possible drawbacks and potential risks that may arise for future implementation, while also presenting possible coping strategies to cope and/or to prevent them.



Final remarks and recommendations: a summary of why this model can be considered as an effective driver for sustainable human development.

4

1. THE MODEL The LEADER approach to rural development has been implemented in Italy since 1991 in order to support rural actors in identifying and leveraging on the long-term development potential of their area. LEADER is a “bottomup” approach to design and implement rural development strategies by bringing together farmers, rural business, local organisations, public authorities and individuals from different sectors to constitute and operate as a local action group (LAG). The direct engagement and commitment of private actors within LAGs is the most distinctive feature of this approach: it goes far beyond consultation mechanisms of local actors by ensuring their full ownership (and responsibility) of rural development strategies and initiatives. Indeed, based on this multi-stakeholder partnership, LAGs prepare their own local development strategies focusing on local value chains, landscape and natural resources and sustainable tourism. These strategies contribute to Rural Development Programmes at the regional level, on the basis of which they manage their own respective budgets, funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development. LEADER has been later extended to “Community-Led Local Development” (CLLD), which represents the advanced approach to mobilise and involve rural communities to contribute to achieving smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, fostering territorial cohesion and pursuing sustainable development objectives.

Moreover, the CLLD approach has extended the sources of funding from the European Regional Development Fund (as already in the LEADER approach) to rely also on the European Social Fund, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund.

Within this approach, LAGs play the main role as community leaders, including representatives of local public and private socio-economic interests, such as entrepreneurs and their associations, local authorities, neighbourhood or rural associations, groups of citizens, community and voluntary organisations, etc. Therefore, LEADER / CLLD relies on Local Action Groups as political and technical bodies that are able to strengthen a local public-private partnership of actors in charge of designing and implementing a local strategy for rural development.

The main distinctive principles of LEADER / CLLD approach and their elements of novelty are the following: 

encouraging local communities to develop integrated bottom-up strategies in rural areas where there is a need to respond to territorial challenges and boost processes for structural change;



ensuring public-private partnerships and community ownership by setting formal bodies in charge of designing and implementing rural development strategies;



building community capacity and stimulating innovation by local economic actors, in order to encourage the discovery and development of untapped potential within communities and territories;



connecting and integrating the use of different funds to deliver local development strategies;



ensuring, through legal requirements, the conduction of evaluations of rural development strategies at territorial, regional, national and European level;



assisting multi-level governance by providing a route for rural communities to fully take part in shaping the implementation of international, national and regional objectives in their territories.

The establishment of the LAG and the deployment of its role as both political and technical body strongly relies on a bottom-up and participatory dialogue among different relevant actors, which enable to set formal public-private partnerships and to design integrated and multi-sectoral strategies. The key value-added here is the proximity to the final beneficiaries / recipients of the initiatives included in the local strategies. This allows a better understanding of their needs, shaping the interventions’ structure and mechanisms and simplifying procedures for feasible solutions addressing those needs. Therefore, such approach has its very functional nature not only to ensure project effectiveness, but also to nurture social energy and community-building towards collective well-being.

2. THE CASE STUDY 5

Local Action Group “Maiella Verde”

LINK

https://maiellaverde.it/

MODEL

Local Action Group for rural development

OBJECTIVE

To improve the quality of the territorial offer by enhancing the qualification and value added of typical local products, landscape and rural environment, and by improving the accessibility and attractiveness of territorial systems.

LOCALIZED SDGs

MAIN ACTIONS

     

Design, coordination and management of rural development strategies.

Territorial animation.

Support and technical assistance to SMEs operating in local value chains.

Preparing and publishing calls for project submissions.

Reporting and auditing.

Monitoring and evaluation.

START YEAR

1992

LOCATION

Chieti Province, Abruzzo Region, Italy

The Local Action Group (LAG) “Maiella Verde” is a limited liability consortium owned by a large public-private partnership, which has been operating in a mountainous and hilly area in Abruzzo Region since 1992. “Maiella Verde” covers the area of 84 municipalities in the Chieti province divided into three sub-areas: the Ortonese Chietino, Sangro Aventino and Vastese. The area has a population of 147.640 inhabitants and covers around 2.000 km2. The inner and rural part of the area suffers long-lasting socio-economic problems, such as depopulation, crisis of farming (due to ageing of farmers and loss of value of raw materials), crisis of local production due to competition in the global market, low youth and female employment, among others. The LAG “Maiella Verde” currently consists of 157 members, which represent local public and private socio-economic interests.

The LAG follows the LEADER / CLLD approach promoted by the European Union for the development of rural areas, characterised by the active involvement of local actors and their participation in the decision-making process for the identification of intervention priorities and the implementation of rural development strategies in their territory.

The Local Development Plan designed by the LAG “Maiella Verde” aims at improving the quality of the territorial offer by enhancing the qualification and value added of typical local products, landscape and rural environment, and by improving the accessibility and attractiveness of territorial systems, through the creation of a virtuous network of public and private actors. In particular, this approach relies on the development of short supply chains, supporting single actors in developing small productions and farm shops and promoting systemic 6

initiatives to make local typical foods (and their territory) well known to the public through events, publications, taste sessions and other initiatives.

Here there are some examples of activities and projects recently promoted by the LAG “Maiella Verde”: 

“Galleria del Gusto” (Taste Gallery): About 100 local producers joined this network and adopted a voluntary production regulation. This accreditation system allowed participation in all different initiatives for food and wine marketing in the territory promoted by the Taste Gallery, and receipt of a periodic feedback on organoleptic quality of products.



“Guide del Gusto” (Taste guides network): This network accredits local experts able to guide groups of visitors in tastings and visits for wine and food products.



“Terre Ospitali” (Hospitable lands): This national network involves 12 Italian LAGs and the Slow Food Association (an NGO working on food biodiversity preservation) and supports communities based on a high value of hospitality, manifested in the adoption of virtuous and eco-sustainable production and economic models for the enhancement of the territory and its culture.



“10 Sapori da Salvare” (10 flavours to be saved): This project promotes a community revitalisation strategy centred on the valorisation of local food and wine identities. The project supports the creation of ‘Food Communities’, conceived as small groups of local actors (not only producers, but also representatives of local authorities, citizens, associations, etc.), who gather together because they share the willingness to enhance a specific typical product. Each community elaborated a strategy comprising actions to: a) improve knowledge and skills related to their product; b) improve quality and branding; and c) strengthen promotion. The project supports strategic investments in farming, processing, packaging, shops, websites and e-commerce according to the strategies developed.

The LAG’s most recent initiative makes even stronger this collective and collaborative approach by enhancing cooperation projects between actors gathered in a formula called “Project Communities” (CP), which arise from the above mentioned “Food Communities”.

The Project Communities are groups of local actors representing a significant share of a specific territorial area / local / service, who jointly elaborate and guide a common valorisation strategy through the preparation and implementation of an integrated project. At present, 22 Project Communities are active involving more than 500 local partners in the LAG’s area. Project Communities may have different aims: Incoming Tourism, with the aim of improving the accessibility and quality of reception in a specific micro territorial area; Tourist Product, with the aim of developing a specific tourist product based on local resources; Typical Product, with the aim of enhancing a specific typical product; Territorial Regeneration, with the aim of improving the use of one or more local resources to start new economic and social activities for the benefit of the population of the Municipality concerned.

Through a two steps process, each CP submit a project proposal and, if approved by the LAG, it can count on the financial support of 20,000 Euros. The LAG “Maiella Verde” acts as the financing body (i.e. CPs do not receive funding, but it is the LAG itself that bears the project costs), while the Project Communities are the implementing body of the enhancement initiatives. The final aim is to transfer knowledge and competences from the LAG to the members of the CPs, to make them independent in finding other funds. This method of financing promoted by the LAG allows even small informal communities to participate, avoiding administrative issues often linked to calls for proposals. The public notice foresees two phases: 1) the group of promoters presents the concept idea; 2) once the concept idea is approved, the promoters have three months to structure the project, with the technical support of the LAG. The (re)activation and (re)generation of local communities is the first result achieved by this initiative and it can lead to the creation of registered associations and the structuring of territorial networks.

7

THEORY OF CHANGE

MAIN TRIGGERING ELEMENT (UNMET NEED/NEW VISION): Willingness to enhance the valorisation of local products, as well as natural and cultural resources. In particular, in the early ‘90s local productions were mainly focused on unprocessed raw materials, with a decline in market value caused by international competition. There fore, there was a shared need and desire to create processes to enhance the value added of typical local products, improving production processes and investing in processing and marketing.

ACTORS • ACTORS & INSTITUTIONS • 1. Group of local public and private actors • 2. Involment as LAG members of local representatives of all the sectors interested

• 3. Active local communities • 4. Rural development networks at local and national level • 5. Other local and regional governments

RESOURCES •ECONOMIC AND HUMAN RESOURCES • •1. Strong attitude to network and cooperate

•2. Willingness to actively participate •3. Know-how and competences of actors involved: technical and •managerial skills, •skills related to territorial animation •4. Availability of financial resources from different levels and sources

ACTIONS •ACTIVITIES IMPLEMENTED •1. Creation of a local publicprivate partnership on which the LAG is based •2. Design of the local development strategy

•3. Boost of an inclusive participatory process •4. Technical assistance in project elaboration and implementazion

OUTPUTS •OUTPUTS ACHIEVED WITH THE ACTIONS •1. Design of several local development strategies •2.

Implementation of the strategies thanks to the financial support of LEADER / CLLD programme and other funding

INTERMEDIATE OUTCOMES •CHANGES PRODUCED •1. Create a shared vision of rural sustainable development

•2. Active involvement and dinamization of local communities •3. Improvements achieved at local level with regard to enhancement of local products and valorisation of natural and cultural resources

LONG-TERM OUTCOMES/ IMPACTS • SDGS TARGETED

• 1. To enhance typical products and wine and food identity (SDG 2, 15) • 2. To promote sustainable tourism in rural areas (SDG 8) • 3. To create economic opportunities for the local communities (SDG 8) • 4. To increase active citizens participation (SDG 16) • 5. To reduce the depopulation and poverty of fragile areas (SDG 1, 11) • 6. To create a publicprivate partnership at local level (SDG 17)

•5. Setting of a monitoring and evaluation system

8

3. THE PROCESS PHASE 0. TRIGGERING FACTORS Insights from the case-study

Self-assessment questions

In the early ‘90s local productions were mainly focused on unprocessed raw materials, with a decline in market value caused by international competition. The price at which commodities were sold was no longer sufficient to cover production costs and ensure the producers' livelihoods.



Are there typical local products in the area that are not valorised?



What are the main problems preventing typical local products from being valorised? Are they linked to production, processing or marketing?

A local consortium – named “Orso Verde” – was already active in the area at the end of the 1980s, constituting a group of farmers, cooperatives and agronomists who were trying to promote sustainable local supply chains. There was a shared need and desire to create processes to enhance the value added of typical local products, improving production processes and investing in processing and marketing.



What kind of public and private actors might be interested in joining together in a technical body to lead the local development of the area?

The same group of actors came up with the idea of the Local Action Group, since in Abruzzo there was an experimental policy that preceded LEADER in order to help areas in distress. Contacts were made with EU officials visiting Abruzzo to show them what the consortium had created, and they recognised its potential and correspondence with the incipient LEADER approach.

9

PHASE 1. SET-UP OF THE LOCAL ACTION GROUP Insights from the case-study

Suggested actions

Self-assessment questions MAIN ACTORS

The idea of establishing the LAG came from a group of persons with the necessary credibility, competences and public support at the local level, as they were already active in the area with the “Orso Verde” consortium.



Right since the very beginning, thanks to the initiative of the LAG's promoters, various types of players with  strong links to the area were involved: farmers and agricultural cooperatives, agronomists and local public administrations. The LAG enabled the creation of a public-private partnership in which the private sector plays a leading role.  Criteria were established for new local actors to become members of the Local Action Group. In each programming period, the members of the LAG confirm their participation and possible enlargements are envisaged.

Identify a group of public and private actors with the necessary credibility, competences and wide public support at the local level, that is able to motivate and mobilise the local community.

Involve all possible interest groups right since the set-up of the Local Action Group, starting from representatives of public and private socioeconomic interests at local level.



Which types of actors (institutional, social, private) can be involved in creating the local action group?

Which are the potential partners in the area?



Will the Local Action Group be a predominantly public or private initiative?



Is there a common vision among key political and economic actors at local level to actively engage in fostering a sustainable structural change of the local society?



What skills do the Local Action Group need to achieve the desired results?

Identify clear rules for management within the public-private initiative: establish membership criteria, decision making bodies and their professional staff team.

MAIN RESOURCES The promoters were convinced of the LEADER programme and the development opportunities it could bring to the target rural area. Technical experts gave them assistance to understand the functioning of the programme and its funding.

The promoters made a strong direct contribution in the form of human resources and technical and management skills, gradually identifying the resources and skills needed to manage LEADER funds.

Numerous local actors, both public and private, demonstrated from the outset their willingness to be involved in the process of setting up the LAG.



Establish a clear internal organization identifying the economic and administrative skills required to administrate funds.





Have a professional and committed technical team of experts and ensure continuous training and capacity-building.

Do the actors involved already have the necessary specific technical competences and expertise?





Are the actors willing to participate actively and cooperate?

Identify financing sources at different levels for setup and initial activities.





Leverage on local social capital as a resource to commit private and public local actors to actively participate and cooperate.

What kind of local, regional, national or international initiatives could financially and technically support this type of initiative?

10

MAIN ACTIVITIES The LAG “Maiella Verde” was born with a strongly private and agricultural component, with technical expertise at its core. It relied a bottom-up vision of the area's development processes, focusing on the needs of local producers. Nevertheless, it was necessary to directly involve local governments in the process to establish the LAG.



Provide the LAG with clear internal governance structures and elaborate a statute that establish how to become a member and how to contribute to the share capital.



Involve not only the LAG promoters, but also other local key actors that are needed to ensure the LAG functioning.

In order to become a LAG, the promoters elaborated the statute, which established the public-private nature and the desire to have a large social base. The statute provided that all local actors, individually or associated, could be partners of the consortium company, and that  there should be a share capital.

This led to create limited liability consortium which represents relevant public and private actors, in both the shareholder structure and the board of directors. It facilitates local institutions, economic stakeholders, technical experts and other community actors to meet each other, conveying needs, ideas and proposals for action.

Build an inclusive local partnership, ensuring a primary role to private actors from different sectors especially representing small producers and communities.



How can a statute be drawn up setting out key aspects (how to become a member, internal governance structure, etc.)?



Is the Local Action Group able to involve actors other than promoters in this first phase?



Is the partnership developed representative of the public, private and social sectors in the area in which the local action group wishes to operate?

11

PHASE 2. DESIGN OF THE LOCAL STRATEGIES FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT Insights from the case-study

Suggested actions

Self-assessment questions

MAIN ACTORS Over time, the local and regional governments became increasingly aware of the work done by the LAG, and therefore more involved and committed to the elaboration and implementation of the rural development strategies.



Envisage the active involvement of local communities in the elaboration of development strategies, through participatory processes open to both private individuals and organisations.



Are the adopted participatory mechanisms capable to involve local communities in the elaboration of the rural development strategy?

The members are the most important resource for the LAG's operation. For this reason, over time it has been necessary to expand the membership of the LAG to include new public, private and social actors (both individuals and organisations) in the area.



Ensure that LAG partnership is representative and inclusive of all key local partners.



Does the LAG partnership include key local partners with different backgrounds?



Involve local actors with different backgrounds in the design of the local strategy.

“Maiella Verde” decided to give a strong role to local communities through the initiative “Project Communities”, initially linked to the valorisation of typical local products and then more broadly to the promotion of sustainable rural tourism. The LAG dedicates specific calls for proposals to the enhancement of “Project Communities”.



Identify active rural development networks at local and national level that could help in the design process of the strategy.



Is there an already active network of actors at national and/or local level willing to participate to and/or support the design process of the local development strategy?

Hire staff with specific communication and  organisational skills to actively involve local communities in animation activities aimed at the design of the strategy.  Identify financial resources to cover costs related to territorial diagnostic and design of the  strategy.

Does the Local Action Group have all the necessary competences to manage the process of strategy development?

MAIN RESOURCES Financial resources were provided by the European Union LEADER / CLLD programme and have remained stable throughout the different programming periods.

During the design process of the strategies, continuous moments of exchange at local level were foreseen in order to create a climate of openness and trust among the actors involved as project partners, LAG members and local communities.

In the design phase, the LAG participated in numerous initiatives at national and international level that allowed them to learn and exchange good practices, tools and innovations.







Allowing for peer learning and networking with similar initiatives and actors in other areas in  order to share experiences and solutions.



Nurturing trust amongst partners, members and communities in the design process of the strategy.

Have opportunities for peer-to-peer learning and networking with other areas been provided?

Which financial resources can be leveraged for the design phase?

Do LAG members show willingness participate actively in strategy design?

to

12

MAIN ACTIVITIES The consultation and design process for the local development strategy normally starts immediately after the emerging partnership is established.



Define the area and population covered by the LAG’s Local Development Strategy.

The selection procedures for LAGs and local strategies within the LEADER / CLLD approach take place in two phases: 1) a collection expression of interest; 2) a call for groups that expressed interest to present the local development strategies. Each EU programming cycle has required the LAG to design a new local development strategy.



Drawn up a strategy based on an analysis of the development needs and potential of the area, including an analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

The strategies promoted by “Maiella Verde” since 1992 have always aimed at animating and upgrading the economic system of underdeveloped (economically and socially) rural areas in Chieti Province.

“Maiella Verde” has identified the main problems and needs of the area over the course of the different LEADER / CLLD programming periods. Great attention has been paid to local short supply chains, addressing issues related to production and processing, product valorisation and territorial valorisation in the local development strategies. The valorisation of local products, as well as natural and cultural resources, has always been crucial in the LAG development strategies to make the area more attractive for visitors and residents.

All strategies show a special focus on the enhancement of local identity and on the upgrading of small business operating in the agri-food, handcraft and tourism sectors.

This allows involving specific groups of the population that often suffer from lack of opportunities, especially young people and women who are prone to entrepreneurial innovation and self-employment.



Promote information events, workshops and training with the aim to collect project ideas, actively encouraging and supporting community actors to submit projects which drive forward the strategy.



Provide the strategy with a description of the management and monitoring & evaluation arrangements.



Periodically review the local development strategy and update it with new objectives and projects, possibly involving a larger number of actors.



Ensure that the local development strategies promote linkages with other local development actions implemented in the area.



Has the Local Action Group identified a specific target area for the development strategy, also based on the availability of resources?



In order to develop the strategy, is it envisaged a territorial diagnostic of the development needs and potential of the area, including a SWOT analysis?



Are there foreseen information events and workshops with local communities to collect project ideas?



Does the strategy refer to and relate with other local development initiatives implemented in the target area?

In designing the strategies, the LAG “Maiella Verde” has always focused in promoting linkages with other local development actions (such as the local application of the National Strategy for Inner Areas), and in linking the current strategy to the previous ones promoted by the LAG itself.

13

PHASE 3. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE STRATEGY AND LOCAL ACTION GROUP MANAGEMENT Insights from the case-study

Suggested actions

Self-assessment questions

MAIN ACTORS The same local actors are involved as in the previous phase, with  an increasingly active and central role.

The LAG identified “Project Communities” to engage the local communities most likely to be actively committed in rural development strategies.

Enable local communities in being protagonists of the implementation of project activities foreseen by the rural development strategies.



How can key actors and local communities be made committed to and responsible for the implementation of the projects foreseen in the strategy?



What kind of financial resources can be leveraged to fund the implementation of the strategy?



Do the actors have the necessary resources and skills to be responsible and accountable for project implementation?



Which are the key activities to be carried out by the LAG to ensure that the strategy developed is implemented?



Are the projects proposed by local actors consistent with the local development strategy?

Who are the targeted beneficiaries? Are they prone to innovation?



Is the LAG able to provide technical assistance to the proposing actors?



What are the phases / steps necessary to

MAIN RESOURCES Sharing intentions as a group of local actors enabled trust and cohesion to be maintained throughout almost 30 years of activity.



The financial resources used by the LAG “Maiella Verde” to implement the strategies derive from the LEADER / CLLD programme, but over time they have relied on other additional funding for specific projects (i.e. by local and regional governments and by private sector organizations).

LAG members and staff should have the appropriate competencies, skills and financial resources to generate and manage development processes on a local level.

MAIN ACTIONS The operational activities implemented by the LAG are several: coordination and management, technical assistance, products analysis, reporting and auditing, monitoring and evaluation.

Most of the projects, funded through public calls for tender, concern small investments. The selection is based on the consistency with the local development strategy, on the overall quality of the project and on targeted beneficiaries (with a priority for women, young people and disadvantaged categories). The LAG establishes the required requisites and provide technical assistance to improve the quality of proposals. The support is especially directed to the most innovative initiatives, which can demonstrate an important value added for the local community.

The implementation of strategies by “Maiella Verde” over its 30 years of operation can be divided into 3 macro-periods: 1. Assistance to small enterprises concerning production and



Identify the key activities that the Local Action Group must be able to engage in during the implementation of the local development strategy.



Identify how to finance the projects needed to implement the strategy, the requisites that projects must have, who will implement the activities.



Ensure technical assistance to the actors involved by the Local Action Group, both in the phase of elaboration of project proposals and in the phase of implementation of the selected

14

projects.

processing.

In the first period, the LAG placed the needs of small producers at the very centre of its strategies. It was necessary to change the attitude of local producers, who conceived agriculture solely as the production of raw materials. Firstly, small farmers were supported to comply with higher standard in terms of health and hygiene; secondly, investments were made to create small processing facilities for cheese, meat and vegetables; finally, actions were taken to support marketing and direct sales. These steps have helped to strengthen small enterprises of the area operating in the agri-food, handcraft and tourism sectors.



enhance value added creation within the local economy?

Ensure that the selected projects are instrumental in achieving the objective set out in the local development strategy. Over time, once the expected results have been achieved, the local action group will be able to draw up new local development strategies with objectives that will be updated according to the needs of the target area.

2. Creation of communities to promote typical local products.

In the second period, the LAG focused on the valorisation of typical local products, which were not nationally and internationally renowned despite having strong food and wine traditions and identities. The LAG realised the need to increase their value added by going beyond the processing stage. With the "10 flavours to be saved" project, the LAG has turned some local food and wine products into regeneration drivers for local communities, as common goods to be promoted. 11 local communities acquired the status of "Food Communities", due to their respective typical products. Other initiatives, such as the Taste Gallery and Taste Guides network, contributed to increasing the value added of local products.

3. Enhancement of value added not only in typical products, but also in tourist promotion and regeneration of villages.

In the last (and current) period, the attention to value added enhancement was also directed to regeneration of villages and promotion of sustainable rural tourism. Value added is conceived to concern not only economic well-being, but also personal motivation and social recognition, activating the social energy of local communities. In this phase “Maiella Verde” has been promoting the implementation of the rural development strategy through the creation of Project Communities focused both on local typical products as well as on tourist reception, tourist product and territorial regeneration.

15

SUSTAINAIBILITY Insights from the case study

Suggested actions

Self-assessment questions

In order to guarantee the sustainability of the actions implemented, it was necessary to foster a sense of belonging to the area in all the actors involved. This allowed to have a direct effect on local actors' mobilisation, thanks to the bottom-up approach.



Involve local actors actively during the development process, adopting a bottom-up approach in the development of the strategy.



Does the Local Action Group create partnerships with private, public and institutional actors at local level?

“Maiella Verde” was careful not to turn only into a technical advisory body for other projects, despite the expertise acquired over the years. At an early stage, it was essential to understand whether there were already other local development agencies bringing initiatives and funding to the target area, in order to avoid creating internal competition that could damage the work in the long term.



Maintain a strong attachment to the target area.





Avoid entering into competition with any other local development agencies, and instead create opportunities for collaboration and networking with other similar initiatives at local, national and international level.

Is the Local Action Group engaged in collaborating and networking with other agencies and initiatives at local, national and international level?



Does the Local Action Group have a monitoring and evaluation system?

The LAG has maintained a strong attachment to the area, accumulating experience in rural development.

In terms of sustainability, it has also been important to create opportunities for collaboration with other local initiatives, such as the local committee following the National Strategy for Inner Areas and the Destination Management Company agency. These liaisons in the area allowed additional funding to be obtained and successful projects to be developed.



Set up a monitoring and evaluation system to verify the results achieved thanks to the strategies implemented.

Another key factor was the periodic evaluation of the results achieved by the strategies implemented, a compulsory aspect in the LEADER / CLLD approach. The LAG executed a self-evaluation activity based on three points: collection and assessment of quantity and quality data from implemented operations; interviews of actors directly involved; preparation of case studies.

16

4. KEY DETERMINANTS FOR EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION AND REPLICABILITY

Categories

Description

Self-assessment questions

ACTORS AND INSTITUTIONS



Creation of a public-private partnership able to act both as a political and technical body.



Which are the actors to be involved in the LAG public-private partnership?



Representative role by LAG members of the whole target area and of all the sectors interested in contributing to rural development.



Do the actors share a similar approach?



Do they represent the whole local community?



Is there a local technical team able to manage the local development process?

SOCIAL CAPITAL

HUMAN CAPITAL

GOVERNANCE FRAMEWORK



Strong attitude to networking and cooperation by private and public actors.





Willingness to initiate and support a rural development process by the private and public actors involved in the LAG, with the shared awareness that the time needed to achieve results could be long.

Are the public and private actors involved motivated towards reaching the goals of the strategy?



Are there people in local communities interested in getting involved and being protagonists of the development process?



Sharing of a vision of rural sustainable development by local communities.



Local communities prone to be protagonists in the process of design and implementation of the strategy.



Is there a shared vision of rural sustainable development?



Activation of the right mix of human resources and competences through the engagement of local actors and communities.





Deployment of technical skills for the design and implementation of local development strategies; managerial skills to manage the resources needed to implement the strategy; skills related to territorial animation, knowledge pooling and participatory processes involving local communities.

Which are the competences and skills needed to design and successfully implement the local development strategy?



Are human resources with the requested expertise and skills available within the local community?



Is the staff able to balance embeddedness and impartiality?



Is there a well-defined governance design in the LAG?



Capacity to listen, to analyse local needs, to identify available potential and to define concrete achievable results.



Balance between embeddedness within the local community and autonomy / impartiality from specific private interests.



Clear governance, by identifying leadership, roles and responsibilities of each actor and internal relationships to facilitate the management of activities.



Openness for other key actors to become members of the LAG. 17



INSTITUTIONAL AND LEGAL FRAMEWORK

ECONOMIC RESOURCES

BASIC INFRASTRUCTURES



Are key local actors given the opportunity to become member?



What are the other levels of governance to be aligned with?



What kind of corporate form can be adopted?



Is there any factor constraining public-private partnerships within the national and local legal framework?



Are there financial resources available at local, national or even international level to design and implement the local development strategy?



Are there physical or virtual places where to hold meetings?

 Broadband network connection allowing continuous digital communication between actors, especially given the restrictions caused by the Covid19 pandemic and the remoteness of inner areas. 

Is there a system in place to enable dialogue between actors?



Who can provide technical assistance to local actors and deal with territorial animation?



Which other territories can be interested in peer-topeer learning and exchange?

Formal setting as a limited liability consortium which include relevant public and private actors in both the shareholder structure and the board of directors.



Identification of a clear public or private leadership.



Elaboration of a statute of the LAG, with the criteria to become members.



Availability of financial resources from different levels and sources to support both the design and implementation of the strategy process.



Smooth relationship between the funding management authority (or authorities) and the LAG based on a unity of purpose and shared procedures.



A place where actors can meet (also virtually).



A system that allows actors to get continuously in touch and dialogue.



SERVICES



Alignment with rural development programmes at regional level and European priorities.



Technical assistance to local actors and territorial animation both during the design and the implementation of the local development strategy’s objectives.



Peer-to-peer learning and exchange of experiences with other LAGs at national and international level.

Is digital connectivity accessible and reliable in the whole territory and for all people and communities?

18

5. DRAWBACKS AND RISKS

DRAWBACKS AND RISKS

COPING STRATEGIES

Which are the main risks that may arise?

Which are the best strategies that could be implemented in order to cope with and/or prevent these risks?

The bureaucratic effort required by the programme is insurmountable for small local players. It becomes difficult to involve certain actors because they do not have sufficient management capacity. For local authorities, the tender model creates problems, as it often excludes the beneficiaries most in need of support.



Risks of rent-seeking behaviours by members or personnel pursuing private interests detrimental for the local community.

Finding alternative ways of financing small projects of local actors who would find it difficult to access calls for tenders.

In the “Project Communities” initiative, the method of financing promoted by the LAG allows even small communities to participate, avoiding administrative issues often linked to calls for proposals. Here, the LAG “Maiella Verde” acts as the financing body, while the Project Communities are the implementing body of the enhancement initiatives. Each CP that sees its project approved by the LAG can count on the financial support of 20,000 Euros. The CPs do not receive funding, but it is the LAG itself that bears the project costs. 

Ensuring that all members and staff act impartially from their own interests.



Ensure full transparency of all decisions to the whole community.

Over time, the staff of the LAG “Maiella Verde” proved to be fully committed to the common good for the whole local community by devoting all their efforts, expertise, working (and often personal) time to promote sustainable rural development in the area.

Often long delays due to bureaucratic reasons in releasing funding may affect the shift from the design and approval of the local development strategy to its implementation. For small local actors (targeted beneficiaries), waiting long periods to receive funds is problematic, as they may go out of business if they do not find alternative sources of funding.

The discontinuity between one programming period and the next also affects the LAG's human resources.

Risks deriving from external shocks and systemic crises affecting the whole local and/or national society (e.g., the Covid19 pandemic).



Foresee initial activities that can start even with limited funding, also by continuing territorial animation.



Ensure communication and transparency to beneficiaries on all the administrative steps.

Over time, the LAG “Maiella Verde” has acquired experience on dealing with delays and discontinuities between programming periods. Both delays and unforeseen events require a flexible strategy, which can be reviewed during the start-up phase of the implementation, dealing with the operational design of concrete actions in continuous interaction with the local community. Having a stable staff of people who are very historically linked to the group (despite high turnover among young staff) facilitates the continuation of activities and engagement with rural communities. 

Devise flexible activities and tools to be ready to adapt to changing circumstances affecting the core elements of the project.



Due to the Covid19 pandemic, the LAG “Maiella Verde” was forced to increase its reliance on digital tools (e.g. on training and technical assistance activities), which was also an advantage because it allowed them to reach more people through a less demanding effort than usual.

19

6. FINAL REMARKS 

Value-added of this model and case-study as a driver for sustainable human development and SDG localization

The creation of Local Action Group as a public-private partnership to guide rural development can represent a fundamental driving force for sustainable human development and SDG localization.

Its value added lies in the capacity to combine a professional administrative and bureaucratic management with making a collective and collaborative approach truly operational for the (re)activation and (re)generation of local communities in rural areas.

Indeed, LAGs enable the active involvement of local actors and their formal participation in the decision-making process for the identification of intervention priorities and the implementation of rural development strategies. In particular, they bring together a very wide range of categories of local actors from different sectors – including farmers, rural business, local organisations, public authorities, citizens’ associations and individuals – to constitute and operate as formal consortium, capable of representing both a political and technical body in charge of designing and implementing a local strategy for rural development.

Such structured public-private partnerships ensure full community ownership (and responsibility) and nurture social cohesion, thus enhancing SDG localization in rural area.

Moreover, LAGs contribute at building community capacity and stimulating innovation to enhance the qualification and value added of typical local products, landscape and rural environment. In this regard, the case-study of LAG “Maiella Verde” is illustrative of a gradual approach to value added creation and enhancement within rural communities based on sequencing of phases: 1) assistance to small enterprises concerning production and processing; 2) creation of communities for the valorisation of typical local products; 3) enhancement of value added not only in typical products, but also in tourist promotion and regeneration of villages. 

Final determinants to be considered when implementing this model in other contexts

The experience of LAG “Maiella Verde” (as well as many LAGs in rural areas across Europe) could be crucial in similar areas in several emerging countries. Indeed, the issues addressed – long-lasting socio-economic problems such as depopulation, crisis of farming, crisis of local production due to competition in the global market, low youth and female employment, the lack of services and economic opportunities – are also experienced in rural areas in many other countries. Moreover, the initiative “Project Communities” by LAG “Maiella Verde” is particularly relevant and it may be adapted to many emerging countries, as it fosters the organisation of communities which activate collective action on the valorisation of traditional products, cultural identity and landscape for the sake of sustainable development.

This Policy Guideline has highlighted that trust, cohesion and social capital at local level is a fundamental determinant to set-up a formal public-private partnership able to act both as a political and technical body, as well as to ensure openness to other key actors to join the partnership and become members. This enabling condition also facilitates setting a clear governance model, by identifying leadership, roles and responsibilities of each actor and internal relationships to allow the management of multiple functions and activities. Human capital represents another key determinant for a truly effective LAG: firstly, LAGs’ managers and personnel must balance embeddedness within the local community (for the full understanding of community needs) and autonomy / impartiality from specific private interests (to avoid rent-seeking behaviours); secondly, staff is required to deploy technical skills for the design and implementation of local development strategies, for territorial animation and for project management.

20

Moreover, multi-level governance alignment is also fundamental, as synergies between actors, strategies and funds for rural development operating on (and for) the same rural communities must be leveraged towards the same vision for sustainable human development at the local level, avoiding detrimental overlaps, redundancies and conflicts.

Nevertheless, in line with a place-based perspective, the process depicted in this Policy Guideline can be pursued by prioritising and sequencing different steps and actions and by acting on different levers in different places , or in different times for the same place, according its contextual and conjunctural conditions, the presence of key determinants and collective political willingness.

21

USEFUL CONTACTS

UNDP ART GLOBAL INITIATIVE Contact persons: Andrea Agostinucci; Raffaella Garutti Email: andrea.agostinucci@undp.org; raffaella.garutti@undp.org Website: www.undp.org

ARCO (Action Research for CO-development) Contact person: Andrea Ferrannini Email: andrea.ferrannini@arcolab.org Website: www.arcolab.org

Local Action Group “Maiella Verde”: Contact person: Carlo Ricci Email: ca.ricci@tin.it Website: https://maiellaverde.it/

22