{"id":19,"date":"2014-05-15T07:06:51","date_gmt":"2014-05-15T05:06:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ruralfranceresources.americansmovingtofrance.com\/?page_id=19"},"modified":"2014-08-03T07:21:13","modified_gmt":"2014-08-03T05:21:13","slug":"general-resources","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ruralfranceresources.americansmovingtofrance.com\/?page_id=19","title":{"rendered":"General Resources"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ruralfranceresources.americansmovingtofrance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Autumn-valley.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-48\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ruralfranceresources.americansmovingtofrance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Autumn-valley.jpg?resize=584%2C438\" alt=\"Autumn valley\" width=\"584\" height=\"438\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ruralfranceresources.americansmovingtofrance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Autumn-valley.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ruralfranceresources.americansmovingtofrance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Autumn-valley.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ruralfranceresources.americansmovingtofrance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Autumn-valley.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ruralfranceresources.americansmovingtofrance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Autumn-valley.jpg?w=2048&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ruralfranceresources.americansmovingtofrance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Autumn-valley.jpg?w=1168 1168w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ruralfranceresources.americansmovingtofrance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Autumn-valley.jpg?w=1752 1752w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px\" \/><\/a><\/h2>\n<h2>General Resources:<\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Installation-campagne .fr<\/strong> is a very comprehensive information site with a wealth of resources for anyone interested in moving to the French countryside. Their web address is <a href=\"http:\/\/www.installation-campagne.fr\/\">http:\/\/www.installation-campagne.fr\/<\/a> If you go to \u201cEn pratique\u201d (to the left), and then to \u201cO\u00f9 s\u2019installer?,\u201d you will have a chance to see both a map of all the areas of France whose local government officials have come up with special structures or assistance mechanisms meant to attract newcomers. Here is the link to the list of these areas <a href=\"http:\/\/www.installation-campagne.fr\/liste-territoire-accueil.php5\">http:\/\/www.installation-campagne.fr\/liste-territoire-accueil.php5<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Underneath \u201cO\u00f9 s\u2019installer?,\u201d you will find the mention \u201cQui peut m\u2019aider?,\u201d with a link leading you to all the organizations that could assist you. Here is the link: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.installation-campagne.fr\/liste-organisme-accompagnement.php5\">http:\/\/www.installation-campagne.fr\/liste-organisme-accompagnement.php5<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Some of these organizations are regional governments trying to specifically attract people to their area, and its content somewhat overlaps with the content of the previous link, but it also lists plenty of organizations that will assist you regardless of where you chose to go. Among these, some offer general business help, but their expertise is not specifically tailored to rural areas. However, the following organizations have specifically tailored their services to rural areas:<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Fondation Raoul Follereau assists individuals seeking to create their own job in a rural setting http:\/\/www.raoul-follereau.org\/<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Esprit Village is a magazine dedicated to life in French rural areas. It comes out four times a year, contains ads and features trends pertinent to rural life http:\/\/www.village.tm.fr<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The association PIVERT acts as a documentation centre as well as an advisory body for those interested in setting up a project in a rural area http:\/\/www.village.tm.fr<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The association \u201cSavoir faire et d\u00e9couverte\u201d puts the focus on assisting people interested in developing a professional skill that is compatible with life in a rural area and meets ecological standards. In that context, they will help you find out what your professional calling might be, and even give you an opportunity to test it. http:\/\/www.lesavoirfaire.fr\/<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The AFRAT is an organization assisting individuals wishing to develop, in a rural or a mountain area, a professional project that is in tune with the natural assets of that area. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.afrat.com\/\">http:\/\/www.afrat.com\/<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The Safer is an organization dedicated to assisting individuals wishing to buy rural real estate, either commercial or residential, and, if appropriate, does so in the context of your professional project. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.safer.fr\">http:\/\/www.safer.fr<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Terre de liens is an organization dedicated to assisting wannabe farmers find land, among other services. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.terredeliens.org\/\">http:\/\/www.terredeliens.org\/<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The association Notre Village has successfully created a designation \u201cNotre Village Terre d\u2019Avenir\u201d whose primary mission is to give official recognition to villages that have come up with an economic survival action plan that incorporates sound environmental practices while promoting social inclusion. <a href=\"http:\/\/notrevillage.asso.fr\/\">http:\/\/notrevillage.asso.fr\/<\/a> The association\u2019s website also has an extensive list of ads, mostly of village shopkeepers wanting to sell their business. This designation will be valuable to those of you wanting to support, through your choice of a village, a specific model of development.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Last but not least is installation-campagne.fr\u2019s forum <a href=\"http:\/\/www.installation-campagne.fr\/forum\/\">http:\/\/www.installation-campagne.fr\/forum\/<\/a> and blog <a href=\"http:\/\/www.installation-campagne.fr\/blog.php5?blog_id=18\">http:\/\/www.installation-campagne.fr\/blog.php5?blog_id=18<\/a> where you will find comments, questions, additional adds and calls for cooperation of all kinds having to do with life in a French rural setting.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Other miscellaneous resources for those interested in living in a French rural area are as follows:<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>SOS Villages<\/strong> is a project that was started by the 1:00 pm TF1 news show. It usually features a village that could use the attention. The project includes a website with additional information. By going to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.tf1.fr\/jt-13h\/sos-villages\/\">http:\/\/www.tf1.fr\/jt-13h\/sos-villages\/<\/a> you will see a map of France. Click on the region you are interested in, and you will find a number of ads, all of them fairly recent (a few months old), consisting of individual business owners in rural areas seeking to sell their business.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>The government listing<\/strong> of the villages that have received the \u201czone de revitalisation rurale\u201d classification on the basis of either a declining population or a high percentage of agricultural jobs, or both. The (huge) list can be found here\u00a0\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.legifrance.gouv.fr\/jopdf\/common\/jo_pdf.jsp?numJO=0&amp;dateJO=20130712&amp;numTexte=2&amp;pageDebut=11586&amp;pageFin=11613\">http:\/\/www.legifrance.gouv.fr\/jopdf\/common\/jo_pdf.jsp?numJO=0&amp;dateJO=20130712&amp;numTexte=2&amp;pageDebut=11586&amp;pageFin=11613<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Individuals living and working in one of these villages may get exempted from the Taxe Professionnelle if they undertake one of the following: create a business that supports tourism, create an artisanal activity, take over an existing commercial activity or set up a business as an independent professional (different from a commercial activity). My purpose in including this list is to guide those of you who wish to move to a village that is in dire need of newcomers. Special note: the number next to each village is just a government identifier and you can just ignore it.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Les-aides.fr<\/strong> is a site dedicated to listing recent calls for proposals for which a government entity is (sometimes partially) financing. After a few visits to the site <a href=\"http:\/\/les-aides.fr\/projets\/\">http:\/\/les-aides.fr\/projets\/<\/a> I have found that it usually includes a few project ideas with a rural slant, even though the site itself is not dedicated to rural living.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Association des Maires Ruraux de France<\/strong> is an association of the mayors of the municipalities with fewer than 3,500 inhabitants. Their website <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amrf.fr\/Nousconna%94tre\/Quisommesnous.aspx\">http:\/\/www.amrf.fr\/Nousconna\u00eetre\/Quisommesnous.aspx<\/a> gives a good sense of the issues that specifically affect small-size French municipalities and could be a source of inspiration to those planning a professional project with a rural slant. To that effect, look to the left of the home page and scroll down to \u201cNos positions\u201d for a deeper understanding of these issues and the solutions envisioned. Scroll further down to \u201cActualit\u00e9 de l\u2019AMRF\u201d for a specific list of actions being undertaken by the association as a whole or by some of its individual municipalities. \u00a0This is also the section where you will find calls for proposals launched by the AMRF.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Association Bistrot de pays<\/strong> intervenes in villages with no more than 2,000 inhabitants in which the caf\u00e9 is the last (or almost the last) business. The approach is to promote the caf\u00e9 and what it has to offer by giving it the official designation \u201cBistrot de village\u201d, while at the same time requiring that the caf\u00e9 provide a number of services without which the village would have a hard time surviving. These caf\u00e9s usually have opening-hours requirements. They have to serve food and make every effort to feature what is locally produced, and must also offer what in France constitutes essentials: bread, newspapers and tobacco products (I know, I know). They must act as in information center of sorts, making available to visitors information materials about the village and the area. Finally, several times a year, a caf\u00e9 with this designation must organize events revolving around the village\u2019s culture or assets. Caf\u00e9s may chose to organize events around the village\u2019s food offerings, or focus on the exploration of the natural surroundings or a locally relevant cultural activity. Some of them also offer accommodation, although that is not a requirement in order to obtain and retain the designation. The association\u2019s website <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bistrotdepays.com\/\">http:\/\/www.bistrotdepays.com\/<\/a> is very well organized in this respect, with the search for the caf\u00e9s organized by type of activity and\/or by <em>r\u00e9gion\/d\u00e9partement<\/em>. In addition, the site enables you to search by time frame, yielding specific information as to what might be on offer at a specific point in time; and enabling you to plan your trip through rural France around scheduled activities while being able to rely on basic services in even the remotest areas.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>My hope is that this information will help guide your travels, whether personal or as a tourism professional; but also that it will inspire those of you contemplating the possibility of operating such an establishment in other villages, with or without the official designation.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Le R\u00e9seau des Caf\u00e9s Culturels Associatifs<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.resocafeasso.fr\/accueil\/le-reseau-des-cafes-culturels-associatifs\/\">http:\/\/www.resocafeasso.fr\/accueil\/le-reseau-des-cafes-culturels-associatifs\/<\/a> is an association of caf\u00e9s whose purpose is to make the arts accessible to the public in a socially inclusive environment.\u00a0\u00a0 While in theory, the concept is not specific to rural areas, it is a great way to bring an activity to a village in need of some action, and to give outside visitors a reason to come once in a while. As with a lot of concepts\/business models, one could create a business that would incorporate a lot of these ideas but without seeking the designation.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Association Les Plus Beaux Villages de France<\/strong> was started as a way to bestow an official recognition onto some of France\u2019s most picturesque villages. Qualifying villages must have no more than 2,000 inhabitants, at least two classified historical sites or monuments and must have taken steps to protect their assets while avoiding to create a museum effect. As of this writing there are 156 French villages with the designation. The association\u2019s website <a href=\"http:\/\/www.les-plus-beaux-villages-de-france.org\/fr\">http:\/\/www.les-plus-beaux-villages-de-france.org\/fr<\/a> makes it possible to get a preview of what each has to offer. Tourism professionals, or those wishing to move to a village actively working to promote itself and its aesthetic assets will find it useful.<\/p>\n<p><b>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p>\u00a9 Laurence Raybois Consulting<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>General Resources: &nbsp; Installation-campagne .fr is a very comprehensive information site with a wealth of resources for anyone interested in moving to the French countryside. Their web address is http:\/\/www.installation-campagne.fr\/ If you go to \u201cEn pratique\u201d (to the left), and &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/ruralfranceresources.americansmovingtofrance.com\/?page_id=19\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-19","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P4Dld3-j","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ruralfranceresources.americansmovingtofrance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/19","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ruralfranceresources.americansmovingtofrance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ruralfranceresources.americansmovingtofrance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ruralfranceresources.americansmovingtofrance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ruralfranceresources.americansmovingtofrance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/ruralfranceresources.americansmovingtofrance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/19\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68,"href":"https:\/\/ruralfranceresources.americansmovingtofrance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/19\/revisions\/68"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ruralfranceresources.americansmovingtofrance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}