The idea of
establishing the Centre for Sustainable Rural Development
Kranj follows the development activities, beginning in 2000,
in the rural areas of the municipalities of Cerklje na Gorenjskem,
Kranj, Tržic, Naklo, Preddvor, Jezersko and Šencur. Within
the PHARE CBC project entitled Added
Value of the rural areas, the development agency BSC
Kranj carried out the phase of recognising the human potentials
of the countryside as well as animation of local inhabitants
and together they created the projects of the future. One
of the projects, connecting farms, craft and tourism, was
finished in October 2002, within the CBC project, entitled
Trip
to the Countryside. Among partners in summer 2002, the
need to activate another project arose, namely the development
support to underemployed and unemployed handicraftsmen as
well as small farms that are in need of development of their
subsidiary activities. The development partners from central Gorenjska
had rechecked the interest of potential participants and decided
to prepare an application for co-financing of establishment
and operation of the RURAL DEVELOPMENT CORE (RDC) for Small
Business Development Centre. The project received an approval
in autumn 2002 and immediately after signing the contract,
the activities were carried out. Among others, the Centre
for Sustainable Rural Development was established (CSRD Kranj),
within which all the development activities of rural development
core are performed.
The aim of rural development core is to enable
the (self) employment to the participants in the group through
joint projects. Hereby we want to help the target group of
unemployed and underemployed as well as other persons - half-farmers
from the countryside whose workplaces are endangered due to
rationalisation either in industry or in the service sector.
However, they have appropriate knowledge, are willing to manufacture
various products (handicraft, baking bread and cake, herbal
medicine, forestry works) and have the interest for a particular
way of (self) employment as well.
Our aim is to help all the participants to
develop their products so that they will be attractive for
the market, to set up a joint infrastructure and a network
for fostering the sale as well as legalise the activities
and thus create new workplaces.
The key indicators for measuring the success
are the number of new workplaces and consequently increased
family income, positive development influence on other activities
and target groups in the countryside as well as social growth
of participants and their families.
|
