13. #Rurality: Working for a more attractive and prosperous countryside in Europe

As Europe's rural population ages and diminishes in size, Food for Europe looks at the EU's Long Term Vision for Rural Areas. The EU spends around a third of its budget to support farming, but agriculture is just one of many elements that must be present for rural communities to thrive. Digital connectivity, transport networks, public services, shops, schools, healthcare and jobs are all indispensable elements for life in the countryside. The EU's Long Term Vision for Rural Areas therefore looks beyond farming and economics towards a future where more people - especially young people - want to remain, and to move to, rural areas for their attractiveness and prosperity. Some Member States are more advanced than others in protecting and promoting their rural heritage. In this 13th episode of Food for Europe, we travel to the central Italian region of Emilia Romagna to demonstrate the Italian government's efforts - supported by EU rural development funds - to revive and expand opportunities for rural communities. We meet a young producer of the local delicacy, parmigiano reggiano, who chose farming over a legal career, and we meet an architect who’s returned to Italy from London to develop a rural innovation hub in this mountainous region.