Balanced territorial development seeks to ensure that rural development benefits the full range of rural stakeholders and local communities. It is about diversifying rural economies to create jobs and opportunities in a range of sectors of activity, reducing poverty, and supporting vibrant local communities. The local level is often the best theatre for bringing together the mosaic of stakeholders and projects that are required for balanced territorial development reflecting the extraordinary diversity of populations, territories, cultures and expertise. LEADER and Community-Led Local Development (CLLD) play a central role in many rural areas and offer useful lessons. Yet there are many other types of initiative and elements to the local jigsaw - the challenge for this period is to use the Rural Development Programmes (RDPs) to unite them into a more coherent force.