Prorural: program assessment in an involved actor's perspective

Abstract

PRORURAL- Azores Rural Development Plan - for 2007 to 2013, is the European Union rural development policy adjusted to the Azores Region and it is supported by European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development. The PRORURAL was approved by Commission Decision C (2007) 6162, on the 4th of December 2007. The PRORURAL has four center lines: 1) improving competitiveness of the agricultural and forestry sectors; 2) improvement of the environment and rural landscape; 3) quality of life in rural areas and diversification of economy; and 4) operation of LAGs, Acquisition of skills and entertainment in rural areas. The financial implementation rate was 34% and its approval rate was about 60% as regards to plan´s total allocation. This higher performance achieved in the material and financial execution was the result of the concerted effort between all entities in charges of the programmer’s management and the commitment and initiative of the beneficiaries despite the economic crises period. The objective of this research is the assessment of the PRORURAL in an engaged actor’s perspective. For that, it was established an expert panel, constituted mainly by farmers. A questionnaire was made and a Strengths, Weaknesses/Limitations, Opportunities, and Threats –SWOT- matrix is presented.