Strategy for future rural areas

Leader Future Rural Areas' local development strategy will during the period 2023–2027 lead the association's
work for the development of the countryside through the leader method. The area includes the entire landscape
Dalsland (Bengtsfors, Dals Ed, Färgelanda, Åmål, Mellerud and parts of Vänersborg municipality), part of
of southwestern Värmland (Årjäng municipality) and part of northeastern Bohuslän (Munkedal municipality). The strategy
is implemented in collaboration with local and regional actors.

Our three goals

As part of the strategy, we have defined three overarching goals with the help of SWOT analyses and environmental scanning. They are as follows:

• Attractive rural areas – everyone should feel welcome to live, reside, and operate in Future Rural Areas.
• Innovative rural areas – we harness the entrepreneurial ability of residents through experience exchange
  and collaboration.
• Climate-smart rural areas – through both better knowledge of the climate and concrete activities to
  reduce our climate footprint.

Focus area 1

Smart and inclusive rural areas

Our focus is to stimulate a need-driven innovative thinking, contribute to increased inclusion, and develop and create attractive living environments in our rural areas.

It may involve, for example:

• Developing sustainable housing concepts in rural areas, as well as creating increased conditions for remote work and digitalization.
• Renewal of the association life by finding new ways to involve more and new groups, to strengthen the association life going forward.
• Enabling testing of ideas, exploring and creating strategies for smart rural areas, innovative clusters, or service solutions.
• Creating more contact points, for example for foreign-born individuals and youth that shorten the path to work, as well as lead to increased participation in the local community.

Focus area 2

Innovative entrepreneurship

We promote entrepreneurship and new ideas through support for development and innovation, such as new services and products, collaborations, and transformation of operations. We also intend to support initiatives that contribute to experience exchange and collaboration to find new solutions to problems.

It may involve, for example:

• Developing new services and products, new collaborations, new industries, new markets, or developing new methods and techniques.
• We support the development of entrepreneurship for broadening, focusing, and/or diversifying activities.
• Developing existing and new networks as well as activities for co-creation, such as workshops or seminars.
• Ideas that create an expanded exchange of experiences between individuals.

Focus area 3

Climate and environment

We want to be involved and support projects that focus on the development of resource-efficient and renewable services and products, as well as business ideas that stem from all stages of the life cycle.

It may involve, for example:

• Knowledge-enhancing activities such as courses, training, and networks focusing on environmental challenges and solutions. 
• Services based on the sharing economy and/or circular economy.
• Activities to increase preparedness in the area.
• Services that reduce the use of fossil fuels or increase the self-sufficiency rate in the area.

Focus area 4

Hela Vänern

Project applications within this area must be made together with other leader areas and in the form of collaborative projects. Within the focus area Hela Vänern, we will therefore work with three focus areas; the future of sport fishing, knowledge for all, and Väner fish on the plate.

It may involve, for example:

• Activities aimed at developing tourism businesses related to sport fishing, deepening the ecological aspects linked to increased fishing pressure, and measures to reduce negative effects to future-proof Vänern as an attractive sport fishing destination.
• Activities aimed at creating conditions for a long-term sustainable development through increased knowledge and knowledge dissemination about commercial fishing, sport fishing, and Vänern's ecology.
• Väner fish on the plate – Activities aimed at contributing to the possibilities for a long-term sustainable commercial fishing in Vänern through improved dialogue between commercial fishing and authorities, business development, new recruitment, and improved opportunities for local processing and collaborations with local restaurants.