Agricultural structural development planning
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The German Agricultural Structural Development Planning (AEP) replaced the Agricultural Structural Preliminary Planning (AVP) in 1994 . It is referred to as agricultural specialist planning with a cross-sectional character and is considered preliminary planning in accordance with Section 1 (2) of the GAK Act. Its implementation is funded by the joint federal and state task “Improvement of the agricultural structure and coastal protection” (GAK).
In terms of content, the AEP contributes as an informal instrument to securing the importance of agriculture for rural areas at the small-regional level and to coordinate its land requirements with other spatially significant projects (e.g. settlement development). Their effectiveness arises from the consensus-oriented cooperation of the actors (network formation) and from their function as a basis for argumentation when integrating the results into formal plans (especially regional plans and land use plans ).
For the 2004–2007 framework plan, the Planning Committee for Agricultural and Coastal Protection (PLANAK) decided to merge the GAK principles of land consolidation , village renewal , agricultural structural development planning and rural road construction in the principle of promoting integrated rural development (ILE). The federal states implement this requirement. Instead of the AEP, some countries are now providing so-called ILEK ( integrated rural development concepts), which - similar to regional development concepts (REK) - strengthen the integrated, cross-sectional approach.