Deepening of European integration processes involves expanding the areas of implementation of European methods and approaches in the field of rural development as a methodological basis for the formation of a new model of rural development and raises the issue of improving the professional competencies of local government officials in organising the activities of authorised representatives of local self-government bodies to support rural development of communities, creating a space in the community to provide advice on rural development support. Within the framework of the new U-LEAD with Europe initiative, the Comprehensive Support Programme ‘Development of a Network of Authorised Representatives of Local
Self-Government Bodies to Support Rural Development of Communities’, experts from Sumy Business School Tetyana KHARCHENKO, Marharyta LYSHENKO, Svitlana LUKASH and Alina BRYCHKO conducted a series of seminars, trainings and consultations. With the professional support of experts, representatives of 12 territorial communities from the Ivano-
Frankivsk, Volyn, Dnipro, Zhytomyr, Zakarpattia, Lviv, Odesa, Rivne, and Kharkiv Oblast got answers to their questions:
– How to organize the activities of local self-government bodies to support rural development in the
community?
– How to introduce communication tools for working in the field of rural development of community?
– How to introduce mechanisms to support citizens for rural development and promote innovations in
agricultural production?
– How to ensure that local self-government representatives provide consultations on the specifics of private
farming, family farming, and the organizational and legal framework for cooperation?
– How to increase the level of knowledge of authorized representatives of local self-government bodies to
support rural development of communities?
In addition, during the 1.5 months of training, the participants of the Comprehensive Support Programme learned about models of support for rural development of communities; understood the basic principles, features and practices of introducing organic agriculture, sustainable agriculture methods; mastered the forms and approaches to managing rural development in EU member states; learned about the main approaches to organising the activities of the authorised representative of the local self-government bodies to support rural development; got acquainted with successful practices of adaptation of agriculture to climate change; received expert advice at the stages of document preparation; established contacts and
established cooperation with colleagues from different regions of Ukraine.