Launched in 2011 by the European Union (EU) with the support of the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Studies in Agronomy – Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Montpellier (CIHEAM – IAMM), the European Neighbourhood Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development South (ENPARD – South) wishes to reinforce the partnership between the European Union and the Southern Neighbourhood countries in the fields of agriculture and rural policies. The European Commission intends to accompany the partner countries in implementing public policies in response to these issues concerning food security and rural economic diversity while reinforcing global governance on rural and agricultural matters. Within this framework, the ENPARD initiative promotes strong principles in line with a participatory, inclusive and territorialised approach placing social actors at the heart of its action focusing on one key issue: Which policies to support farmers and rural populations?

In order to promote this initiative and strengthen the partnership concerning rural and agricultural matters, the ENPARD South support programme will endeavour to accompany national strategies over the period 2015-2017 in order to sustain and coordinate a regional Mediterranean framework for dialogue and the sharing of experiences concerning agricultural and rural development policies. In particular, these interventions involve numerous Mediterranean Neighbourhood countries that have joined the ENPARD South initiative (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Israel) as well as, in a more ad hoc manner, the Balkans and Turkey. Within this framework and taking into account of both the exchanges between the partner countries and CIHEAM-IAMM and the issues inherent to the agricultural and rural sector of the Mediterranean region, the seminar that took place on 6 and 7 October 2016 in Brussels (Belgium)  provided an opportunity for a joint regional work focusing on the theme of “Youth, women and rural development: agriculture policies paving the way forward”.