The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) operates as part of the Rural Development Policy. It is the second pillar of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

It contributes to the development of rural territories and an agricultural sector that is more balanced, more climate-friendly, more resilient in the face of climate change, more competitive, and more innovative.

For the 2014-2020 programming period, France is the Member State receiving the largest EAFRD budget allocation to support rural development. The EAFRD budget therefore amounts to 11.4 billion euros and can be used for:

• Setting up young farmers,
• Payments to areas facing natural or other specific constraints,
• Agri-environmental and climate measures,
• Support for organic farming and payments under Natura 2000 and the Water Framework Directive,
• Investment in the agriculture, agri-food and forestry sectors.

In the national context of decentralisation, local councils are entrusted with managing EAFRD. Each regional council is the managing authority for an EAFRD rural development programme. A national framework provides common guidelines for regional rural development programmes. The State remains the managing authority for two national programmes: the “National Rural Network” and the “Risk Management and Technical Assistance” programme.