In collaboration of three PoliRural project partners from the Czech Republic – Plan4All, NUVIT and CCSS – the Model of Rural Attractiveness in the Czech Republic was introduced in the 11th LEADERfest, which took place from 20 to 23 September 2021 in Kutná Hora in the Central Bohemian Region. This national event is an essential gathering of the Czech Local Action Groups, including LAGs from the Central Bohemian Region – the key stakeholders of the project. The event hosted more than 300 participants from the Czech Republic, national and foreign speakers, and was financially supported by the National Rural Network under the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic.
The model, which is part of the PoliRural Digital Innovation Hub, is based on open data and an ontology of rural attractiveness. Factors affecting the resulting attractiveness can be classified based on selected Sustainable Development Goals and the output serves to show the attractiveness of particular municipalities or areas. This tool, which is available for users on PoliRural website (https://hub.polirural.eu/), should support proper policy-making processes based on selected weighted indicators and in accordance with specific data draw the existing situations on the map.
The model as a part of PoliRural projects output is easily understandable and it is valid for the whole area of the Czech Republic. Together with other activities in the Central Bohemian Region as a pilot region, it is usable for all stakeholders to support sustainable development of rural areas nationwide.
