Rural Transition Labs: Innovation for rural resilience in Europe

Through a participatory and ecosystem-based approach, the Rural TransitionLabs project aims to foster sustainable solutions such as regenerative agriculture, efficient water use, and renewable energy production, leveraging local resources and traditional knowledge. Rural LivingLabs will be created to develop innovative economic models and climate change adaptation strategies to enhance the resilience of rural areas to climate change. The ultimate goal is to strengthen rural-urban cooperation and promote a balanced and sustainable climate transition in Europe.

On January 29, 30, and 31, a group of researchers from the Institute of Sustainability Science and Technology (ISST) - including Jordi Segalàs, Gemma Tejedor, and Johanna Martínez - met in Cartagena with other partners of the Interreg Sudoe Rural TransitionLabs (RTL) project to continue advancing innovative solutions to climate change in the three pilot projects in rural areas of Southwestern Europe: Portugal, France, and Spain.

In each of these three regions, rural transition laboratories are being developed and tested, where pilot leaders, together with their stakeholders, co-design participatory strategies that promote actions to address water scarcity with a holistic approach. These actions aim to provide:

• Tangible results in the short term,
• Territorial cohesion in the medium term, and
• A sustainable transition in the long term, through deep and specific actions that promote resilience based on local knowledge, continuous learning, and the design of solutions that protect natural resources and biodiversity.

All of this is accompanied by the active participation of local actors to strengthen governance and foster lasting transformations.

The Rural Transition Labs are being implemented in pilot projects that are already underway:

• Cartagena (Spain): Atmospheric moisture condensation system powered by solar energy for dryland farming.
• La Creuse (France): Recovery of traditional hedgerows to retain water and promote biodiversity.
• Póvoa do Lanhoso (Portugal): Greening strategy for urban areas using native low-water-consumption vegetation.

The ISST research group is leading the co-creation of the transition strategy. This strategy includes, in its next phases, the design of workshops aimed at local authorities and communities in each territory, with the aim of continuing to advance towards a sustainable, effective, and participatory climate transition.