The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development is the main source of funding for the EU’s rural development policy.

The EU’s rural development policy helps the rural areas of the EU to meet the wide range of economic, environmental and social challenges of the 21st century. Frequently called "the second pillar” of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), it complements the system of direct payments to farmers and measures to manage agricultural markets (the so-called "first pillar"). Rural Development policy shares a number of objectives with other European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF).

For more information about the EAFRD you can visit the European Commission website.