| Project Detail |
Climate-smart training for rural areas
Rural communities and their surrounding ecosystems are often the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, including extreme weather events and changes in temperature patterns. This makes ecosystem-enhancing and climate actions crucial for sustainable development. With this in mind, the EU-funded RURALITIES project will promote climate action and ecosystem-enhancing expertise in rural areas. It will focus on the creation of learning hubs known as RURALITIES, which use innovative methodologies and a comprehensive network of living labs to empower rural actors. The project’s multi-point approach involves various actors, disciplines, systems and sectors. It will also train over 1 000 facilitators and coordinate with local and regional authorities to support rural innovation.
The project ‘Climate smart, ecosystem-enhancing and knowledge-based rural expertise and training centres’ (RURALITIES) delivers an ecosystem-enhancing and climate action driven expertise and learning framework organised in hubs e.g. the ‘RURALITIES’, comprising a series of innovative methodologies with the learner at its core, supported by a comprehensive network of living labs, and a blockchain-based digital platform combining the Internet and wireless technologies, to assist engage, connect and empower actors. This is done via a multi-point approach e.g. multi-actors, multi-disciplines, multi-systems, multi-scale, multi-sectors, and multi-levels.
RURALITIES is rooted in the recruitment, preparation, training and coaching of 1.000+ facilitators (KPI) distributed in all participating countries, for a variety of tasks (e.g. trainers, facilitators, role models, hub coordinators, etc.), and who play a significant role in creating the matrix and the platform upon which the learning framework is built, develops and evolves. RURALITIES proposes to ideate, implement, futureproof, validate and deliver the aforementioned expertise and learning centres via real-scale practicing in 7 simplified rural socio-ecological systems (SIMSES) e.g. demonstrators, 2 in Italy, 1 in the United- Kingdom (UK), 1 in Slovenia, 1 in Spain and 1 in Romania. RURALITIES coordinates identified actions of local, regional authorities in supports of rural innovation in regions and economic sectors where rural innovators are not yet engaged in a relevant network.
RURALITIES coordinates identified SIMSES networks promoting rural innovation solutions whilst establishing innovative multipoints ‘RURALITIES Hubs’ of expertise and training on rural innovation. This is done via coordinating action for the managing authorities and regional bodies influencing regional and national policy instruments in Italy, the UK, Slovenia, Spain and in Romania. |
