Support for rural areas in Germany is provided at national and European level. Support at European level is provided by the European Union's central funding instrument, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). The Joint Task "Improvement of Agricultural Structures and Coastal Protection" (GAK) is the main instrument of national support for agricultural structures and forms the substantive and financial core of many state programs. The GAK contains a wide range of agricultural structure and infrastructure measures and thus largely covers the scope of the EAFRD. In addition, rural areas are supported by numerous other federal and state programs.
