Minister Michelle Gildernew MP MLA has announced the initial allocations of funding from the Rural Development Programme (RDP) 2007-2013.

£50million will be allocated across the seven council clusters and they will now begin the process of developing rural development strategies.

The strategies will identify actions that will support improvements to the quality of life in rural areas and the diversification and development of the rural economy.

After they have been competitively assessed a further £50m will be allocated across the clusters.

Outlining the announcement the Minister said: "This initial portion was allocated to the council clusters on the basis of their rural population weighted by deprivation.

This money will help the council clusters to make a real difference in delivering on the big issues that cut across all rural communities.

"It is to the local councils' credit that they are striving to get the RDP up and running as soon as possible.

"The next stage in the process provides a real opportunity for rural dwellers to influence the strategies that will be drawn up in each of their areas.

"I would encourage everyone to play a full and active part in this new programme."

The Rural Development Programme is funded under the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).

The allocations were calculated on the basis of equally weighted shares of cluster population, deprivation scale and deprivation extent.