to improve livelihoods of rural people through providing quality services in forestry, rural development, environment and biomass for renewable energy to increase the capacity of local actors to achieve their sustainable development.
Sustainable natural resource management
Sustainable forest management; multi-functional systems for farmer-focused forestry (small-scale, private or communal), including forest governance and legislative reform, evidence-based forest policy, decentralized forest management and joint forest management.
Climate change
Climate change mitigation measures and environmental impact assessments (EIAs), as well as disaster risk reduction (illegal logging and sand/gravel extraction, as well as soil erosion and excess flooding), and national/local food security.
Rural development
Rural development; Job creation, income generation and improved rural livelihoods through better market access, as well as support for all activities along agri-rural and forestry value chains: production, processing, storage, transport and sale to domestic and export markets.
Renewable energy
Renewable energy and waste management; replacement of fossil fuels with renewable energy, particularly wood biomass, short rotation crops and bio-energy production, as well as management of household and industrial waste.
Community mobilisation
Community mobilisation; empowerment of rural women - building ownership and trust, as well as development of local action groups based on LEADER principles.
European accession
European accession issues and related policy questions; Application of EU standards in agri-rural and forestry development, as well as implementation of measures in Agriculture and Rural Development Programmes for 2014-20 funded through IPARD II and the European Neighbourhood Instrument.