Scotland: National Rural Network
Connecting Rural Scotland - Promoting Rural Growth

By Ros McNay

 In this article, Ros McNay, Rural Development Manager in Dumfries and Galloway tells us about her recent trip to the LEADER European Network Seminar in Levi, Lapland.

What was the event?

The LEADER European Network Seminar was the first international gathering of LEADER groups in the new programme period  (2007-13). The event aimed to build the European LEADER Networks, find project partners and build national rural networks. The main target groups of the seminar were the LEADER Action Groups and national rural networks from across Europe. Approximately 250 participants arrived in Levi, Lapland from 20 countries, including many from the new EU member countries; in particular there was considerable representation from Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia and Slovakia. Significantly representation from the UK was very poor, with no representative from England and surprisingly no representatives from other 'traditional' EU members such as France or Germany. This seminar was completely different from previous events, due to the fact that so few of the delegates had any previous experience of LEADER and in many cases were completely new the idea of partnership working, local decision making and wider rural development.

Where was it?  

The seminar took place in Levi, Lapland. Lapland makes up about 30 percent of Finland's total geographic area and has 184,390 inhabitants, of which approximately 7,000 are indigenous Samis. There are more reindeer than people in Lapland and it has eight distinct seasons. Lapland's culture is a mixture of the East and the West, the North and the South. It has influences from both the Sami and Russians. The opportunities characterised by both Artic lifestyle and untouched nature are present everywhere in Lapland - however the area is also clearly a continuously developing rural area referred to in marketing print as "A Land of Diversity"

There are 55 LAGs in Finland and four of these operate in Lapland: Kylakulttuuria Tuntureitten Maassa ry, Outokaira Tuottamhan ry, Perapohjolan kehitys ry and Pohjoisimman Lapin ry.

When was it?

The event took place 16th-20th March 2009 and despite being prepared for temperatures plummeting to minus 25˚c, delegates were able to enjoy nice blue skies and sunshine over mile upon mile of deep snow.

Who organised it?

The seminar was organised by the Rural Network Unit of Finland. The team organised the whole seminar exceptionally well. The team organised travel from Kittila airport to Levi hotels, coordinated and hosted site visits, timetabled speakers perfectly and put on an excellent conference dinner with entertainment at the Levi Summit. There appeared to be a great deal of support for the LEADER LAGs from those working in the Rural Network Unit of Finland and the overall impression was that each cog in the rural development wheel was working together. Ministers, local politicians, LEADER staff, Government officers and project applicants all had a role to play in making this seminar a success.

Why did you decide to attend the event?

Dumfries and Galloway has a valued relationship with a number of Finnish LAGs following successful joint projects over the past six years. Of particular interest to our region is the further development of links through Youth Action and the Village Movement initiatives, which we continue to discuss with Satakunta and Pirkanmaa areas. Members of the D&G LAG considered it important that the international aspects of LEADER were fully embraced from the start of the new programme.

What were the key points you took away from the event?

The Country Parade took place over two days and involved each country manning a stand for a period of the seminar, in order to stimulate interest in joint working and exchange of information relating to different LAG areas and national networks. Although limited in scale, many of the countries took up this option and displayed LEADER projects, project proposals and partner searches. The Parade also included the partner Search Wall, which became a hub of activity as the conference proceeded, with many joint project ideas being posted. This was followed up after the seminar with all ideas being posted on the Finnish LEADER Network website.

What was the most interesting thing you learnt?

All of the excursions and learning focussed tours offered an insight into business and entrepreneurship in Lapland. It became clear to me during the seminar that rurality does not have to be the big stumbling block that it so often is seen to be in Scotland. There were many places visited that were able to demonstrate very effectively that by pulling resources, smart thinking, pride and confidence that small rural villages can survive. Local people seem able to earn a good living and maintain a high standard of living in Finnish rural areas. By far the people I met from Finland exuded a strong belief in the future of their rural area and this seemed to go a long way to actually ensuring that these places will flourish. It may seem simplistic, but having visited Lapland I have reconsidered the importance of helping to grow confidence in local communities through ensuring more networking opportunities, more exchange of ideas, more trips to other areas for all involved in the LEADER programme in D&G.

What did you gain from networking with people from other countries and sharing experience and good practice?

Due to the highly interactive nature of the seminar, there was plenty of scope to meet new LEADER colleagues. Through Artic sport activities, trips and workshops new contacts were made. The Parade was a lively taking shop and a space to exchange ideas for projects and promotional print.  For D&G new contacts have been made with Italy, the Netherlands and Finland. Over the next few months these contacts will be followed up and the potential for cooperation explored further. It was also useful to meet again old colleagues again such as Martin Law from Contact Point (Brussels) and Eero Uusitalo and Salla Rossi from the Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and Liisa Hame from LAG Kainuu.

What was your impression of the host country and their approach to rural development?

Finland always seems to be able to cut through the rural debate to the heart of the matter - the well-being of the people is always top priority. Their approach takes clear account of regional priorities. There is no single, uniform model of rural development imposed on the whole country and the actual actions are all founded on the specific strengths of the regions, not weaknesses. They recognise that diversity is central to the new programme and that both collective development actions and individual entrepreneurs are required to ensure a sustainable future. The programme perspectives in Finland focus on population, livelihoods, economy, employment, infrastructure, know-how, communities, environment and culture. The total Rural Development Programme in Finland has a value of 6,626 million euros of which 31 percent comes from EAFRD. 242 million euros is allocated to LEADER for the new programme period 2007-2013.

If your event featured field trips, what were they and what did you gain from them?

The first trip was a Fell Crossing by Skidoo. On snow-mobiles, participants from 10 countries manoeuvred around the south-side of the Levi Fell. From the River Ounasjoki we climbed 531 meters over the fell's surrounding foothills, enjoying the picturesque landscape. From the top of the fell, the group descended to Lake Immeljarvi, which was frozen and had become a wonderland for snow-shoe hikers, icehole fisher-folk and cross-country skiers. In total we covered 30km, however by far the most impressive lasting memory of this field trip was the way that the whole snow sport experience around Levi is built around a hill that is no higher than Criffel and forestry no more impressive than Galloway Forest. The most surprising aspect of the trip was being breathalysed whilst on snow-mobile, by police officers on skidoos. Overall the environment is exceptionally clean and well-maintained, signposting is well thought out and everyone seems to wish to maintain it that way. There seemed to be a real sense of pride in the area, although at times it was obvious that not everyone felt that Levi should be developed in such a mid-European way and local Sami voiced concerns regarding utilization of their culture for marketing, yet little investment into preservation and development of Sami lifestyle.

The second trip was to Loma-Paksu, about half an hour from Levi by bus. Coaches took all delegates for an evening tour of Paksu Farm, which has a history going back to the 18^th century. The farm has capitalised on the development of tourism around Levi, by creating alternative social and sporting activities away from the town for individual tourists and groups. All delegates had the opportunity to explore the farm by sledge, bike or reindeer. There were different music performances and an alternative dining experience that involved 150 delegates marching around in the snow in the dark visiting small huts and igloos by candle-light.  At night the temperature dropped significantly, so most had headed indoors by 10pm.

The third trip was to Karilan Nevettagalleria and Lanio Snow Village. At Karilan Navettagalleria, tourists have the opportunity to learn about the traditions of local storytelling, shamanism and beliefs in a Lapp barn milieu. Kaamoksen Unia ja Tarinoita is a narrative exhibition with a miniature world built from puppet and fantasy characters. Lainio Snow Village is located between Yllasjarvi and Kittila. The snow village and its hotels are made from ice and guests can stay at the hotel for 150 euros per night. Access to the hotel rooms is from 6pm and the temperature inside is a constant -5˚C. The hotel is open from October to April each year and is completely rebuilt for the start of each season. This was the most intriguing part of my visit to Lapland, as all concepts of traditional tourism were challenged. Villages were few and far between, in fact the most striking difference between D&G and Lapland was that it was not strange to travel 50-100km between villages. Everywhere however, local food and local crafts were available. Food was reflective of the local landscape, focussing mostly on easily accessed materials such as reindeer, fish, game, berries, gherkins and potatoes.

Lapland's history is all about surviving in a challenging environment. Today, life still depends on the surrounding nature and this environment continues to provide opportunities to the people of Lapland, who seem confident enough to make the most of the chances that come their way.