Develop
your place
on earth

We believe that those who live and work in a place also know best how that place can best develop.

At Leader Östra Skåne, your association, company or organization can apply for money to get started!

Here's how it works

Test your idea

You have a project idea and test it by sending us an idea description.

Application

You submit the application and budget in the Swedish Board of Agriculture's e-service. The board decides whether the project should be granted support or not. The Board of Agriculture will then make a formal decision, which means a certain waiting time.

Implementation

You will receive a start notice from the Swedish Board of Agriculture and can begin implementing your project.

End

You evaluate and report the project's results and effects in a final report.

Throughout the entire process you will receive support and all the help you need from the leader office!

Projects in eastern Skåne

Historisk stenbro över Helge å med bågformade valv och stilla vatten som speglar konstruktionen

Pre-study hiking trail from Visseltofta to Åhus

A new trail will connect nature, culture and history from Småland to the coast of Skåne – and create new experiences along the way.

Grafisk bild med texten ”UNG i Östra Skåne – Stöd till din projektidé!” i svarta och gula bokstäver mot en vågig gul- och vitrutigt bakgrund.

Umbrella Project Young

We are now making it easier for young people to realize their ideas in eastern Skåne. Through three umbrella projects, young people can quickly and easily seek support for their own initiatives that develop the countryside.

Grafisk bild med texten ”UNG i Östra Skåne” i stora gula och vita bokstäver mot en färgstark bakgrund i grönt, blått och gult med penseldrag som påminner om en målad flagga.

Young in Eastern Skåne

Young people in eastern Skåne want to be involved and have an impact – now we are creating the structures to make it possible. Through a youth-led initiative, we are strengthening commitment, knowledge and faith in the future throughout the leader area.

Ryttare hoppar hinder med hästar i montage med föreningens emblem för Vinslövs ryttarförening

Accessible equestrian facility

Vinslöv is developing an accessible equestrian facility where more people can participate in equestrian sports and community, regardless of functional ability.

Barnhänder rör vid en drejad keramikskål och utforskar form och yta i en skapande miljö

RÖRD – Art meeting place for children

RÖRD creates an art meeting place for children in Skåne where play, participation and sensory experiences are at the center.

Flytande bastu vid brygga i Kåseberga hamn med trädäck och räcken, förtöjd vid kaj i lugnt vatten

Kåseberga sauna

Floating sauna in Kåseberga attracts visitors all year round. A sustainable investment that strengthens the harbor as a meeting place and tourist destination.

Grupp vuxna vid tennisbana i Skåne som deltar i träff om banunderhåll och föreningssamarbete

Red carpet

A leader project in eastern Skåne strengthens tennis clubs through collaboration, knowledge exchange and joint solutions.

Kanoter vid strand och brygga där människor förbereder paddling i sjö med skog runt Immelnområdet

A magical nature experience – a sustainable canoe trail in the Immeln, Raslången and Halen lake systems

Project for a sustainable canoe trail in Immeln, Raslången and Halen. The collaboration will reduce wear and tear and ensure the long-term nature experience.

Röda biosäten i salong med fokus på stol nummer 23, som symboliserar filmvisning och kulturupplevelse

The Rejected Movie Theater

Short film screenings in smaller towns give space to more voices and create meetings through film and conversation in eastern Skåne.

Summer gig with Vesper

A young music scene meets nature and culture when the band Vesper takes over Sliperiet during Gylsboda Festival 2025. An open and inspiring event where creativity, community and young people's expression are at the center.

Nitro Night

The highlight of the summer in Kristianstad Municipality? Everyone is welcome to this fast-paced car meet and family party!

Blommande fruktträd längs grusväg i ängslandskap med grönska och stenblock i nordöstra Skåne

A new meadow fruit farm for learning and collaboration

Projects in Arkelstorp develop meadow fruit cultivation with older varieties, organic farming and knowledge dissemination for future cultivation.

Illustration i gula toner med en smartphone i mitten som visar logotypen ”UNG i Östra Skåne” och ett porträtt av en kvinna på skärmen. Runt mobilen svävar en mikrofon, hörlurar och abstrakta cirkelformer, vilket ger känslan av en podcast eller ljudinspelning.

Leader guest podcast

Listen to Ermina Ström summarize the leader project "Young in Eastern Skåne" in twenty minutes.

Porträttcollage av styrelseledamöter i Leader Östra Skåne mot grön bakgrund, med flera personer från olika bakgrunder och yrkesroller.

New members of the board

Leader Östra Skåne has five new board members. Here you can read more about their experiences and what they bring to the work for local development.

How is a living countryside created?

In our magazine 2026 you will meet the projects, people and ideas that are developing Eastern Skåne - for real.

CALL FOR CALL – Green transformation

Leader Eastern Skåne welcomes project applications within focus area three, green transformation.

Welcome Ermina!

Get to know Leader Östra Skåne's new project manager and youth coach.

En hand som håller en papperslapp som det står "Nominera" på.

Before the 2026 Annual General Meeting

Leader Östra Skåne's association meeting will take place in April 2026. So now is the time to start looking for suitable representatives for the association's board and nomination committee and to write motions.

Welcome Joanna!

New project coach and administrator at Leader Eastern Skåne!

Information autumn 2025

Time to apply for support for your project? Join one of our digital activities!

Work with us!

Are you passionate about young people's participation in rural development? Do you want to help develop eastern Skåne? Apply for a job as a project manager/youth coach with us!

The Leader method is highlighted in the government's investigation

The Leader method is highlighted in an interim report by SVESAM – the Inquiry into Sweden's Cohesion Development

Closed for summer 30/6-8/8

The Leader office is closed between June 30 and August 8.

Ett foto av ett fält med vallmo och en klar himmel.

The Rural Innovator – a podcast about the country's heroes

We shine the spotlight on people who are rarely seen within the innovation support system – rural innovators.

 

Porträttbild av en man i mörk kostym, vit skjorta och mörk slips. Han står framför en enfärgad grågrön bakgrund och tittar mot kameran med ett lätt leende. Bilden är professionellt tagen med mjukt ljus och neutral ton.

Hello there, Governor Peter Danielsson!

Maria Lundgren, Leader Skåne Mitt Nordväst, has interviewed County Governor Peter Danielsson about the future role of rural areas and Leader.

Abandoned house is on the agenda

All over Sweden and Finland, so-called abandoned house detectives are working to map empty houses, contact owners and create new life in the countryside through reuse and moving in.

Unga personer i möte runt ett bord under ungdomsstyrelsens första träff i Östra Skåne

The youth board in eastern Skåne is now up and running!

During the first meeting, ideas were developed to strengthen young people's participation. Now we are looking for more people who want to join.

What does Leader actually contribute?

A new compilation based on over 3,000 projects shows how local initiatives create long-term development throughout Sweden.

Kvinna i svart jacka står utanför Stadshuset i Hässleholm, med snö på marken och entrén synlig i bakgrunden

Jeanette Junge shows the way for non-profits

Interview with Jeanette Junge about how Leader projects strengthen rural areas in eastern Skåne.

Blue Leader meeting with focus on water and collaboration

Study visit to Farm Fish, projects on seaweed and water conservation, and international perspectives when the Blue Leader Meeting was held in Eastern Skåne.

Southeast Skåne's innovation center in focus at conference in Brussels

Leader and southeast Skåne were highlighted at the "European Startup Village Forum 2025" in Brussels.

Shortcut Österlen 15 years!

How can small businesses in the countryside, outside the usual tourist routes, reach out and expand their customer base? One answer is the association Genväg Österlen.

When vision becomes reality

Two program periods with Leader in southeast Skåne and over a hundred projects are summarized in a new book about rural development and some of the enthusiasts in the area.

The board has been at a conference

On May 16th to 17th, almost the entire board of Leader Eastern Skåne and the employees gathered for a day of work at Breanäs Hotell near Immeln.

What happens at a national leaders' meeting?

Leaders from Eastern Skåne have been on their way to this year's national leader meeting. Read a short summary from our three days at Astrid Lindgren's World in Vimmerby.

 

Between 15 and 25 years old?

Logotypen: "Ung i östra Skåne" i gul och vit text samt texten "Stöd till din projektidé!"

Projects in Sweden

Leader Södermanland
Sparreholm's School Garden

The project aims to create a school garden to promote sustainable development and offer new educational opportunities for children with neuropsychiatric disabilities (NPF). The goal is to implement a new garden area in the preschool's outdoor environment with vegetables and flowers, and create spaces in the outdoor environment for recovery and learning.

Leader Södermanland
Litterära ljudvandringar i Strängnäs och Mariefred 

Projektet syftar till att bidra till läsning i alla åldrar, folkhälsa genom rörelse, kunskap om och en stolthet över platsen samt att projektet bidrar till besöksnäringen i Strängnäs. Målet är att producera och dramatisera fem böcker från Strängnäs med omnejd som digitala ljudvandringar.

Leader Stockholm area
Growth power in rural areas

The project aims to increase knowledge and understanding of locally produced food, strengthen local food production through skills development, and create opportunities for producers and consumers to meet.

Polaris
Pre-study Arena for Lule Sami culture in Jokkmokk

The feasibility study will investigate local opportunities and conditions for strengthening and preserving the uniqueness of the Lule Sami culture in Jokkmokk.
Svartvitt fotografi från flyget i Ljungbyhed tillhörande Historisk Bildbank

Leader Skåne Mitt Nordväst
Historisk Bildbank

"Vi vill rädda kulturhistoriskt intressanta fotografiska samlingar. Foton fulla av vardagsliv och små och stora händelser som är en oersättlig del av vårt samhälles kollektiva minne."

Leader Sörmland Coast
Local food for local markets

”Discover how the 'Local Food for Local Markets' project strengthens collaborations between producers and the public sector for sustainable food supply in our area.’

Leader Skåne Mitt Nordväst
Mellan raderna – småskalig agroforestry för hållbar matproduktion och beredskap

Genom projektet vill Holma Folkhögskola utveckla en modell för småskalig agroforestry. Man vill sätta grunden för ett agroforestrysystem samt upprätta en plan för hur detta efter avslutat projekt ska förvaltas.

Upplandsbygd
Kretsloppsskolan på hjul

I projektet kretsloppskolan på hjul lär 4H barn och unga om att sluta kretslopp genom att mata hönor, kompostera, plantera och baka muffins.

Leader Stockholm area
Högre puls på Resarö

Resarö bygdeförening har anlagt ett utegym och energieffektiviserat vävstugan för att fler ska kunna nyttja lokalerna och utöva sin hobby.

Leader Grogrund
Meeting place The work

The project will create an open and inclusive meeting place where both young and old can meet on equal terms, with a focus on promoting spontaneous sports.

Leader Bergslagen
The consumer store

Many volunteer hours later, it is in place, the new Konsum Museum in Riddarhyttan. The unique collection of historical Konsum objects that SO Andersson donated to the association and the story of the cooperative can live on for future generations through this project.
Får i hage

Leader Stockholm area
Landskapsvård i skärgården

Abborrvass Lantbruk AB beviljas Projektstöd till företag för att utveckla och långsiktigt stärka naturvårdsarbetet i mellersta skärgården.

 

Our local co-financiers