Ideas against the depopulation of rural areas

On September 25, some colleagues from the Sustainability Department, members of the Network of Technical Advisors of Agenda 2030 in the province of Albacete, attended the Conference on “Depopulation and generational replacement” which took place in Motilla del Palancar (Cuenca) to reflect on the depopulation of rural areas.

Depopulation in Spain: Causes and Challenges

The event, organized by the Rural Action Forum (a platform of entities that has been fighting for sustainable rural development since 2013), addressed the main causes of depopulation in Spain and certain measures necessary to alleviate it and achieve the much precious generational replacement in the territories of emptied Spain. To this end, the call brought together various personalities from the world of regional politics, academia, business, associations and technical personnel, who were able to discuss and reflect together on these issues.

Cristóbal Gómez Benito's analysis: paradoxes of the rural world

One of the interventions that should be highlighted is that of the sociologist Cristóbal Gómez Benito, who shed light on the complexity of the problem and its paradoxes, and proposed certain measures necessary to address it in the current framework. He introduced the topic by pointing out the repetitive and endemic ineffectiveness of policies that try to alleviate the “old problem that resists being solved”. The prolific rural narrative existing in the media or literature and cinema stood out during the current period, causing a greater presence of this topic on the political agenda. However, Gómez Benito warned that this greater representation does not imply a quality treatment of this, giving priority to the narrative over the analysis. With this starting point, he presented ten paradoxes that characterize the current reality of the rural world. He mentioned, for example, how the improvement of services and infrastructure is confronted with the persistent increase in depopulation; the diversification of wealth generation in rural areas that has not contributed to the improvement of economic conditions; or the difficulty represented by the dependence of many rural environments on public subsidies, which are necessary and, in turn, often generate demotivation for the search for employment. Finally, he highlighted the importance of identifying the social and political forces that will reform this reality, following the line of action of the 130 measures of the Government's Plan of Measures for the Demographic Challenge.

Rural entrepreneurship initiatives

Later, first-person stories were presented that brought a glimmer of hope to the problem of depopulation in rural areas. Some successful experiences of social and business entrepreneurship were highlighted from a perspective that is sustainable with the environment and friendly with the social context. These projects ranged from activities that valued the resilience of traditional activities in the area (such as the young beekeeper Samuel Cerrudo Andújar), to initiatives that brought technological innovation applied to the primary sector (Pirineos Drone) to these rural areas.

On the other hand, the political representatives present at the event, such as the Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development of the Regional Government of Castilla-La Mancha, Julián Martínez Lizán, recognized the importance of tackling this type of problem in an environment such as La Mancha, with more than 80% of its municipalities being rural areas. To this end, they presented some measures such as the Rural Entrepreneurship Bonus or tax rebates for young people who rent or purchase their first home in rural areas.

Proposals from the Rural Action Forum: a path to change

Finally, the Rural Action Forum took the opportunity to present its proposals to combat depopulation and promote generational replacement; thus concluding a Conference in which the intentions of all the participants to address this problem in a coordinated manner became clear.

Environmental Ideas: commitment to the challenges of depopulation in rural areas

Environmental Ideas is and wants to continue to be a key player in addressing solutions for challenges as complex as those treated. Our 2030 Agenda advisors work every day to address the challenges of municipalities at risk of extreme depopulation, and they culminated these days with new ideas to address the reality they face. In addition, it was an opportunity to strengthen the network of associations, companies and institutions at the regional level and the cooperation between them, something essential to address this reality with the complexity and efficiency it requires.

María Avenaño and Celia López, Sustainability