The RURACTIVE project aims to strengthen rural communities that are committed to local and regional change. The aim is to enable equitable and sustainable development of rural areas. RURACTIVE considers solutions as place-based practices, products, processes, etc. that are intended to lead rural communities to sustainable transformation through innovation. The Austrian example region (Dynamo) is southern Burgenland (Südburgenland). Our local partner is the Burgenland Business Agency (Thomas Böhm).
The 3rd RURACTIVE Consortium meeting took place between September 16th and 19th, 2024 in Zamora (Spain). Zamora (62,000 inhabitants) is located northwest of Madrid, near the Portuguese border, in a peripheral location on the Duero River. Zamora's economy is traditionally based on agriculture, livestock farming and the production of cheese and wine. However, the town has also developed into a tourist destination, mainly due to its historical importance and well-preserved Romanesque architecture. Today, Zamora is a regional center for crafts, trade and services.
The agenda of the meeting included the progress of the various work packages (WP2 to WP7) of the project. A particular focus was placed on the upcoming local workshops (LWS 1), which will deal with visions and challenges in the respective example regions.
As part of the “Peer to Peer Exchange” programme on the topic of “Local services, health and wellbeing”, several local excursions were organized to present innovative rural development projects. During a visit to Sayago, the “Silver Digi” project was presented, which focuses on improving the quality of life of older residents through digital solutions. In addition, the RURACTIVE group explored the Comitas e-health mobile unit, which provides telemedicine services in remote rural areas, avoiding the need for long journeys to healthcare. The Agroberry project, based in Almendra del Pan in Zamora, is an innovative agricultural initiative. Agroberry specializes in the cultivation of organic blackberries (zarzamoras) and produces and markets fresh blackberries in the high season (June to August) and also offers frozen fruit, jams, liqueurs and chocolate made from blackberries, i.e. a year-round product line
The progress of the projects and the ambitious plans in the study regions (local action plan, open call for projects) continue to make the collaboration very exciting.
