Rural Development Programme for England

SEEDA helps rural areas in the South East through the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE), a £63million rural fund that SEEDA manages. The programme supports the land-based sector and small business and communities through the 14 local Leader Partnerships across the South East and by supporting larger, strategic projects across the South East.

The RDPE provides a wide range of support for capital and revenue projects and training for farmers, growers, foresters, rural businesses, food businesses and rural communities. Examples of projects:

Regional Minister for the South East Jonathan Shaw recently congratulated LandSkills South East to mark the £2.1million programme’s first year at Humber VHB in Chichester and the start of a £4million LandSkills winter training season across England. LandSkills South East is managed by Lantra Sector Skills Council on behalf of SEEDA.
A number of farm diversification projects which will create additional income stream for farmers, including one project involving the development of a local food hub
Five on-farm reservoirs to improve water storage and management to reduce summer abstraction from rivers and improve sustainable summer irrigation
A major anaerobic digestion project converting vegetable waste into energy.

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