RURALIZATION developed conceptual guidelines and an assessment framework. Key concepts are regeneration, resilience, innovation and capital frameworks. Gender issues are addressed. A guide for practitioners is developed.
Over 1500 observations of relevant megatrends, trends and weak signals, including estimations of their impacts, have been analysed to produce trend cards for 10 megatrends, 20 trends and 30 weak signals (www.ruraltrends.eu).
Dream futures of over 2000 young people (18-30 years) have been analysed including the dream future location, earning a living, preferred lifestyle and accommodation and any major obstacles they foresee between dream and reality, including the impact of COVID-19. All types of (rural) regions are the object of future dreams, but they differ by lifestyle, livelihood and the obstacles foreseen for specific types of regions.
Dreams and trends have been discussed in 20 regional stakeholder workshops to discuss the potential to make these dreams come true to enable rural regeneration. Interviews in these regions took place to study key drivers to propose policies.
The diversity of contexts in 10 EU member states is analysed. The main issues for new entrants into farming include access to land, openness and integration into rural communities, compatibility with existing farmers, absence of policies addressed to them, and access to training. Part of these aspects are also relevant for rural newcomers.
Promising practices relating to facilitating rural newcomers, new entrants into farming and farm succession have been studied and comparatively analysed by 30 case studies in 11 countries. Regional workshops in 20 rural contexts discussed the uptake of promising practices in other regions.
For many members of new generations access to land is a major obstacle in starting with farming or forestry. RURALIZATION addresses legal and policy context in all EU member states and 8 specific activities, developments in land markets and land holdings, and (3) innovative, bottom-up, practices, by analysing 64 existing practices and by developing 10 pilot actions on 5 land uses. Both policies and markets are not favourable to new entrants into farming. The innovative practices address the access to land pathway.
RURALIZATION has developed both a handbook for local authorities on supporting access to land and a good practice guide for rural newcomers and new entrants to farming. National proposals for the Common Agricultural Policies are analysed in relation to generational renewal and proposals for improvement have been proposed. Activities to promote policies have been executed.
A wide variety of Dissemination & Communication activities took place, including national and international conferences and a social media campaign.
