LEADER is a community-led approach to local development delivering EU funding into rural businesses and communities through Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan – 2023-2027 (LEADER) Programme.

The programme promotes social inclusion, poverty reduction, economic development and addressing the challenges posed by climate change in rural areas. It does this through targeted supports that focus on themes and priorities identified in the Longford Local Development Strategy – a community-led action plan for Longford.

Click here to learn about some of the many LEADER success stories and how LEADER has supported local businesses and communities to grow and thrive in Co. Longford.

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LEADER 2023-2027
County Longford has been allocated €5.823m under the CAP Strategic Plan – 2023-2027 (LEADER) Programme to support the sustainable development of the county. The process of conducting public consultations and focus groups has been completed and feedback has been gathered on the challenges, issues and opportunities facing rural communities and businesses and how LEADER can best support them. The feedback from the consultation process forms the basis of the Local Development Strategy (LDS) which has now been approved by the Department of Rural & Community Development and Gaeltacht. The LDS defines the vision and key strategic objectives and actions which will guide the implementation of the LEADER programme between now and 2027.

Vision

County Longford is an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable 

destination where people want to live, work and visit.

Strategic Approach

The strategy has taken a bottom-up approach which is aligned with the LEADER philosophy. The strategy represents the outcomes of consultations with rural communities and special interest / multisector groups, analysis of area profiling and a SWOT analysis. It is also influenced by national, regional, and county based strategies.

The approach encourages innovative and creative multisector initiatives to the opportunities and challenges faced in rural Ireland and across the county of Longford.

Overview of Strategic Objectives and Actions