The Rural Transfer Network, a Northern Periphery Programme research project, has today launched its findings (Friday ) at a conference in Stockholm.
The Rural Transfer Network aims to document and transfer knowledge on sustainable rural development policy and practice in the northern periphery. By a process of comparative analysis, it hopes to deepen common understanding and suggest alternative development approaches from shared experience.
The Rural Transfer Network is co-ordinated by Mark Shucksmith from the Arkleton Centre for Rural Development Research at the University of Aberdeen. It is a collaborative research project between partners from Scotland, Finland, Sweden and Norway.
Professor Schucksmith said: “The aim of the project was to document experiences of rural development, relating them to the changing context facing northern peripheral areas, and to disseminate this exchange of knowledge as widely as possible.
“Overall, the project has addressed critical issues fundamental to rural areas in the northern periphery and to their future. The comparisons between rural areas in these four countries provide a useful basis for discussion of rural development and rural policy. The areas have strong similarities in terms of geographical and social circumstances; however, the policy approaches for each area are shaped by national political culture and traditions, providing sufficient variation upon which to base comparisons of differing policy approaches.”
The dossiers give a flavour of some of the approaches in rural development taking place in rural Scotland, Norway, Finland and Sweden. The aim is to disseminate them as widely as possible in all four of the project countries, and beyond, enabling sharing and the transfer of knowledge-based experience amongst both researchers and practitioners in rural development.
For further information on the Rural Transfer Network project, please visit the website at www.abdn.ac.uk/arkleton/npp
For further information contact: Angela Begg, Media Relations, on (01224) 272960.
Issued by Public Relations Office, External Relations, University of Aberdeen, King's College, Aberdeen. Tel: (01224) 272014 Fax: (01224) 272086.
University Press Office on telephone +44 (0)1224-273778 or email a.ramsay@admin.abdn.ac.uk.