The Common Agricultural Policy contains support aiming at sustainable rural development, both in terms of economic, social, and environmental sustainability. This project aims to investigate the contributions of support towards increased employment and reduced poverty in rural areas. The project also examines the economic development among different types of rural areas and whether the support is directed to areas with the greatest needs. A crucial aspect of the analysis is the definition of rural areas. The project starts with the common classification of rural municipalities and then refines the analyses by identifying rural areas outside rural municipalities, contributing to the analysis of the varying conditions of rural areas.

The project is part of the evaluation of the Common Agricultural Policy, financed by the Swedish Board of Agriculture. The project deadline is spring 2025.