The Region has given the official green light: the municipalities of Ortacesus and Sant'Andrea Frius have joined the Leader area of the Gal Sgt. This isn't just a bureaucratic step, but a strategic choice that unites Trexenta, Gerrei, Sarrabus, and Campidano di Cagliari in a single rural development project for the period 2023-2027.
The goal is to network to tap into CSR (Regional Complement for Rural Development) funds and transform them into concrete opportunities for businesses and citizens through the LEADER approach (Linking Rural Economy Development Actions), which focuses on the direct participation of local communities.
"The inclusion of Ortacesus and Sant'Andrea Frius represents an important step for our LAG," explains Antonino Arba, president of the LAG. "This achievement is the fruit of a serious and shared administrative process and a clear territorial commitment. We welcome them with enthusiasm, confident that the expansion of the area will strengthen our Local Development Strategy and further enhance our ability to generate opportunities for rural communities. This is a growth that looks to the future, under the banner of collaboration and territorial cohesion."
The entry of the two municipalities, formalized by the Rural Area Development Service of the Department of Agriculture and Agro-Pastoral Reform, strengthens a system that focuses on agriculture, tourism, and sustainability, following the open-door principle that allows the region to grow and embrace new energies. This new operational phase will allow for more effective and participatory strategies, enhancing cultural roots and local excellence through a modern vision of the rural economy.
Ortacesus's mayor, Maria Carmela Lecca, expressed her deep appreciation for the result achieved: "Finally, after much struggle and thanks to the commitment of the president and director of the GAL Sgt, we managed to enter the program. Ortacesus was the only town in the Union of Trexenta Municipalities that was excluded from certain funding and was unable to participate in the calls for proposals for the GAL. Yet the benchmarks—depopulation, unemployment rate, aging populations, poor connections to the capital—are the same ones that characterize the various municipalities in the area that are already fully included as beneficiaries. Convinced that territorial policies cannot be developed by excluding one municipality over another, we began a synergy with the GAL structure, which helped us remove the obstacles to our entry."
"This is a significant opportunity for our municipality, for the surrounding area, and for the economic and social activities that fuel it," echoes Simone Melis, mayor of Sant'Andrea Frius. "We are particularly pleased with the result achieved. Our municipality actively participates in the LAG's initiatives, believing that local development must necessarily come through shared planning and design. Only through collaboration and a shared vision can we build sustainable and lasting growth paths for our communities."
(Unioneoline)
