Background and Objective

The general objective of the project was to consolidate a transdisciplinary and trans-sectoral approach to the problem of communication in rural areas, to raise awareness among practitioners and academics of the specificities of rural communication and of the principles of „progressive rural communication“ and to build a core network of academics and practitioners around this topic.

The project has an essentially exploratory function, so its achievements will be the basis for further research agendas and projects. The general objective is articulated into three specific objectives:

-        Accumulating information on rural communication

-        Creating new knowledge on rural communication

-        Turning new knowledge into practice

The fulfilment of this objective will allow all actors involved in rural development to make decisions with more awareness of the importance of rural communication and to embody this awareness into rural development projects and practices.

Approach

Interviews with stakeholder, participating observation.

Results

In recent years it has become apparent that rural areas have to cope with substantial development problems and that the countryside is generally facing deep transformations. In the past, rurality and rural policy had for the most part been regarded as spheres of social stability. Many people were convinced that the countryside should remain a a stronghold of inflexibility and a core for conservatism. In contrast, at the moment many people are convinced that rural policy has to become much more