Rural Policy

Rural policy aims for a vibrant and prosperous countryside which takes full advantage of its resources. According to the vision for rural policy

• rural areas are an integral element of the Finnish society and our success as a nation
• rural areas encourage enterprise and creativity and offer an environment for good life
• material, social, cultural and ecological base of the countryside is important for the whole of Finland.

To benefit from the strengths of the countryside we must have vibrant rural communities with functioning infrastructure and services. The key objective of the rural policy is to promote the viability of the rural areas and the wellbeing of the people living there.

Finnish rural policy can be divided into a broad and narrow rural policy.

• The broad rural policy is a practice according to which the rural areas and their residents should be taken into account in all actions in the society and different administrative branches.
• The narrow rural policy means the practical instruments employed by the government and society to develop the countryside – such as project funding for rural development.

The rural policy is coordinated by the Rural Policy Council, appointed by the Government for the term 1 May 2016–31 December 2020. Among the tasks of the Rural Policy Council is to improve the structures and practices of rural policy and rural development work on the basis of networks and partnerships and in a way that supports a location-based policy.