Wim Ceulemans Email & Phone Number

Leuven, Flanders, Be

Leuven

Boerenbond & Landelijke Gilden is the largest farmers organisation as well the most representative rural movement in Flanders. Boerenbond is the farmers organisation, who’s aim is defending the interests of Flemish farmers, as well as providing consultancy and training. Together with its 13.000 members, Boerenbond is continuously working for an economically, socially and ecologically sustainable agriculture that has broad community support in Flanders.70.000 rural families are active in the 900 local branches of our rural movement ‘Landelijke Gilden’. They participate in building their local community and take action for a vibrant rural area both in Flanders, as well as in the Global South. I’m responsible for corporate financial management and management of the project operations in our organisation. We continuously incubate, develop and deliver about 130 EU-funded innovation projects on a broad spectrum of topics advancing a sustainable agriculture and rural area, such as rural entrepreneurship, ecological and technological innovation, rural vibrancy and social cohesion and raising of public awareness on sustainable agriculture.

During my term as Staff Officer for Rural Development at ‘Landelijke Gilden’, I had the opportunity to work in a very interesting timeframe, in which the European Common Agricultural Policy developed into a two-pillar system, with the second pillar focussing on integrated rural development. This policy shift resulted in new European, but also national initiatives to stimulate the rural area as a dynamic and vibrant place to live, work and recreate in. As the main Flemish rural organisation, ‘Landelijke Gilden’ wanted to invest in this evolution and develop new initiatives to enhance vibrancy and social cohesion of the Flemish country side on a project funded basis. My job in this position was to activate this working methodology and support the organisation and its local volunteer groups in their project endeavours, developing a vision statement on project based working, resulting in a DIY project handbook for our members, organising a standardized procedure for decision-making on and monitoring of projects, etc. In addition, I was able to develop several Rural Development projects, including an 18-partner Interreg project on ‘Innovative Rural Economy’. Being representative of ‘Landelijke Gilden’ in several LEADER Local Action Groups, I had the opportunity to co-write 4 Regional Rural Development plans. Capitalising on the new dynamics this provoked, I was able to co-found 2 regional network organisations for Rural Development that still are active throughout Flanders.

Plattelandsklassen vzw ( ‘Rural Classes’) was founded in 1987 as a specific service within ‘Landelijke Gilden’, the Flemish rural movement, whose main aim is to bring young people in contact with the Flemish countryside again. Main emphasis is on agriculture, but on top of that it focuses on landscape and nature, history, geography, etc. To accomplish its mission, Plattelandsklassen vzw annually organises several ‘Rural Classes’ has developed a whole range of educational initiatives and teaching materials for different age categories. Plattelandsklassen always tries to employ an ‘experience-driven’ methodology with plenty of occasions to hear, feel, smell, sight, taste ,....As Secretary General my job was to coordinate the organisation and its 5-member professional staff, but also to provide financial management so as to keep it financially healthy. Following my positive experience at Groene Kring, I introduced a 4-year policy planning system, to be implemented through annual action plans, leading to equally positive results such as more than doubling the number of ‘Rural Classes’ organised annually from 70 up to more than 150. My main focus was on developing activities, using new evolutions in the educational environment as a driving force. Using this driver, new educational concepts and initiatives for different age groups ( from kindergarten children up to secondary school youngsters) positioned ‘Plattelandsklassen ‘as the Flemish reference organisation in the field of rural education.

Groene Kring vzw (‘the Green Circle’) is the Flemish young farmers organisation. All young people between 16 and 35 years who are interested in agriculture and horticulture are welcome. Groene Kring has a threefold mission:It brings together young farmers on a local, national and even international level. It defends the interests of young and future farmers and horticulturists at various policy-making levels. It also helps them in the preparation, launch and development of an independent company by organising specific vocational training.With a membership number of over 4000 Groene kring vzw is organised in a democratic volunteer structure. A professional team ensures the organisation runs smoothly.As National Chaiman I was in charge of this professional team of 6 employees and management of the organisation, where I introduced a HR management system and a 5-year policy planning system for the whole organisation (policy guidelines, implemented through annual action plans), leading to quantifiable results such as raising of our membership number by 25%, as wel as doubling the number of training hours organised in our organisation.But most of my time I devoted to contacts with young farmers both within our volunteer structures as well as individually. This led a.o. to the reorganisation of the national volunteer structures. Defending the interests of young farmers, however, was my main mission that I tried to accomplish through representation on both national and European policy-making bodies. Finally, I initiated development of new initiatives, such as a EU-funded project, stimulating agricultural nature management or development of a new training concept for young farmers wanting to take- over an agricultural business. This concept was later adopted by the Flemish Agricultural Admistration as a reference for providing investment government subsidy.

Postgraduate, Business Economics

Master, Social & Political Sciences - Major International Politics