Rural development initiatives: Key to the necessary eco-social transformation 

This was highlighted during the workshop "Transformations and Rural Development" organised by ICTA-UAB on 31 May, which aimed to evaluate current and future development policies and their ability to solve socio-environmental and economic problems. 

Climate change, depopulation and the globalisation of agricultural markets are just some of the current global challenges facing rural areas. To promote sustainable transitions in these territories, the workshop brought together around twenty local action groups from all over Spain. They all emphasised that rural areas have an important role to play in the necessary eco-social transition. The presentation of their projects demonstrated the capacity of rural development actors to create resilient and vibrant environments, and the subsequent exchange of impressions provided a compass to navigate the existing opportunities and challenges in this sector. Moreover, members of ICTA-UAB's SUSTAIN project were able to contrast their ongoing research with the reality of practice in rural areas. 

During the session, participants co-created hopeful scenarios, aware of the current difficult economic, social and environmental situation. They affirmed that governance and transversality are key elements to reinvent and lead transformative rural development initiatives at social and environmental levels. The scenarios presented highlighted the need to prioritise the common good, basic services (decentralisation of services, accessible housing, education), the creation of a care network (to prevent isolation and unwanted loneliness), social integration (and the importance of migrant populations in the revitalisation of rural areas), equality (such as the important role of women in rural areas) and shared governance, which creates spaces for community participation and promotes their leadership. Facilitating generational renewal, valuing the primary sector and promoting cooperation are other aspects that were deemed essential in future initiatives. 

The workshop showed that there are development projects in rural areas that meet the needs of these areas and have great transformative potential. Some of these actions promote new values in rural schools (e.g. through food sovereignty), focus on rural culture, enhance undervalued endogenous resources and promote public-private cooperation. 

The exchange of experiences during the workshop highlighted the importance of cooperation in rural development at national level, and future meetings are expected to share experiences among rural development actors, thus facilitating a culture of co-creation and cooperation for a truly transformative rural development.