The Local Action Group (LAG), generally organised in a consortium society, is a partnership structure made up of public and private actors united by the intention of favouring the local development of a rural area. The LAGs are beneficiaries of contributions under the Community Initiative programme LEADER (Liaisons Entre Actions de Développement de l'Economie Rurale) and in particular:
- manage the financial contributions made by the European Union through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD);
- develop rural development strategies (OSH and ALMP);
- are responsible for and promote the implementation of development strategies capable of delivering new forms of employment;
- promote the increase of the territorial and social fabric and of the production chains;
- generate endogenous and lasting developmental dynamics;
- stimulate activities aimed at enhancing the distinctive features and competitive factors of each rural area.
The 23 LAGs present in Puglia have oriented their Local Development Strategies (LDS) and their programming to the innovation of local food, craft or manufacturing production systems, to the development of energy supply chains, to social promotion and urban requalification, passing through the enhancement of cultural heritage and sustainable tourism or, so-called “slow".
