RURAL DEVELOPMENT, RURAL TOURISM, IPARD PROGRAMME, AND SUPPORTED RURAL TOURİSM PROJECTS

Abstract

For ages, people have been migrating from villages to cities or from rural to urban places for better living conditions. Urban problems caused by surpassing the bearing capacity of cities due to excessive migration have led the authorities to find different solutions. One of these solutions that have come up and started to be implemented in various places in rural development. Authorities have stated that development needs to be local in order to prevent people from migration, and have them turn back; and, hence, they have started to support relevant projects. As a start, the concept of rural region and its borders have been defined. Next, the values of rural regions and resources have been determined, as well as the actions to be taken for sustainable usage of the resources, and which projects and fields to support. Supporting the primary areas of rural development and relevant projects, governments have formed collaborations with various organizations. European Union (EU) is one of the most important organizations that support rural development by means of the funds they have created with governments. In the context of the emergence of agricultural policies in candidate countries, harmonization process, etc., IPARD (Instrument for Pre-Accession-Rural Development) has been established as a pre-accession assistance program. In Turkey, the rural development program in the context of the agreement between the Agriculture and Rural Development Support Institution (ARDSI) and EU has two periods. The first period covers the years 2007-2013, and the second period covers the years 2014-2020. While the IPARD project mainly supports agricultural projects, there are also examples of supported rural tourism projects. Within IPARD, entrepreneurs are provided with every kind of support, including technical and financial, in the processes of pre-project, during the project, and post-project. Accepted projects are financed 50% of the project amount with grants. In terms of tourism, projects prepared on the subject of Rural Tourism and Recreation Activities are supported in the scope of Diversification of Farm Activities and Business Development. Most of the cities in Turkey are eligible for the implementation of projects, and, to date, more than 130 projects, such as hotels, B&Bs, restaurants, tea gardens, way stations, farms, mountain hostels, sports facilities, and aqua parks have been supported. However, showing more interest in the project which has been carried out for nearly 15 years will accelerate rural and, in turn, national development. In this context, the aim of the study is; It is to inform small entrepreneurs about this project, which continues until 2020 and continues in 2021, to make a reminder about this project, to raise awareness, and to attract the attention of the public so that this important opportunity is not missed.