The potential for success in ensuring that agriculture is both competitive and viable under the new Rural Development Programmes (RDPs) will depend particularly on engagement with farmers, foresters and land managers, as well as their representative bodies and advisors. In this article, we consider the relevance of rural development objectives for farmers and reflect on the challenges and opportunities for engaging farmers and other land managers in rural development policy. The article focuses in particular on understanding ways in which farmers and other land managers can engage in different kinds of collective project to better achieve improved agricultural productivity and sustainability, as well as other rural development objectives.