Strategy
Leader Närheten is one of 40 leader areas in Sweden that has had its development strategy approved and is given the opportunity to work for locally led rural development during the program period 2023–2027 (referred to as Strategic Plan 2023-2027).
Local development strategy for Leader Närheten
Leader Närheten's local development strategy will during the period 2023 – 2027 lead the association's work for the development of the countryside through the leader method. The area consists of the municipalities of Karlstad, Grums, Hammarö, Kil, Forshaga, Kristinehamn, Storfors, and Filipstad. Leader Närheten's board, which consists of representatives from the non-profit, private, and public sectors, will, with the help of the local development strategy, prioritize projects in accordance with its goals and focus areas. Administration, communication, information, and daily operations are managed from the office responsible for practical operations.
The strategy's vision ”Opportunities and engagement in Närheten – together” is based on the leader area's ambitions to create local development through the principles of the leader method, where people together build the opportunities for the future countryside. Through our work, we want to create opportunities and engagement that lead to future confidence, inclusion, resource efficiency, and business opportunities to increase people's quality of life and opportunities to live and work in the countryside.
Based on SWOT and needs analyses, four overarching goals for the work have been established:
Engaged Rural Areas
Development of the association's activities to create sustained and greater engagement in rural areas and create new opportunities for the non-profit sector. The development should occur, for example, through renewal, rejuvenation, collaborations, events, business development, and other measures related to the non-profit sector.
Smart Rural Areas
Create better conditions for circular economy, self-sufficiency, increased preparedness, developed services, and digital solutions in rural areas.
Competitive Rural Areas
Promote entrepreneurship, create profitability, develop the important tourism sector related to nature and culture for the area, work with skills development, skills matching, and networking.
Viable Väner Fishing
Develop both recreational and professional fishing in Vänern in an economically, socially, and ecologically sustainable way.
Here's how it has gone so far
We conduct an annual follow-up and evaluation of the association's work according to the development strategy, where we compile goal fulfillment based on our approved projects. These annual follow-ups are also sent to the Swedish Board of Agriculture. Here you can read the follow-ups we have done so far:
About the strategy work
In the spring of 2021, work began on developing a new development strategy for the program period 2023–2027. In preparation for this work, we had well-equipped ourselves by already initiating a dialogue in 2020 with adjacent leader areas about a potential change to the leader map, something the Swedish Board of Agriculture has initiated as a necessity in cases where a leader area is to be designated as too small to have sufficient capacity. Leader Närheten and parts of Leader Värmlands BergsLAG are merging as a result and encompass the following municipalities:
– Grums
– Forshaga
– Kil
– Filipstad
– Storfors
– Kristinehamn
– Hammarö
– Karlstad (excluding urban area)
The strategy is relatively comprehensive and includes a description of the entire process. Please take part in the material through the links below.
We would like to extend a big thank you to all partners who have engaged in the work in one way or another; it is thanks to the collective will to develop the countryside that we have produced a strategy that we are proud, happy, and eager to start working with.
