For almost 30 years, the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture Bundesministerium für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft (BMEL) has been promoting German-Russian cooperation in the agricultural sector within the framework of the cooperation project “German-Russian Agricultural Policy Dialogue” (APD) (APD). Partners include the Russian Federation Ministry of Agriculture, the Economic Department of the German Embassy in Moscow, the Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations and industry associations.
One area of emphasis is “development of rural areas”. A key objective here is to promote exchange between the Russian association AKKOR and the German Farmers’ Association (DBV), as well as to support AKKOR in its advisory activities in terms of content and methodology and to strengthen its regional presence.
The German-Russian limited company Ekosem Agrarprojekte GmbH is responsible for implementing the current project phase. In the course of its activities with the Russian association AKKOR, EKOSEM is being supported by the Andreas Hermes Akademie (AHA) and the DBV, who are contributing their many years of experience to the exchange between experts from both associations.
One of many activities of the DBV and the AHA in 2020 was to prepare a study on agritourism in Germany and the EU. The study explains the situation in the rural areas of Western Europe as well as prevailing circumstances on the ground and provides concrete recommendations.
Agritourism has therefore enjoyed a long tradition in Europe. The positive effects of farm holidays on the economic development of rural areas are undisputed and have contributed to strengthening the economic power of the countryside everywhere in Europe. Public support programmes to stimulate individual farm investments in tourism have been of great importance. Many family farms were able to diversify their sources of income, significantly improve income and develop an economic perspective for the next generation.
You can download the entire study here.
You can also find more detailed information (in German) about the project here: https://de.agrardialog.ru/about
