Southern Europe has been affected by rising temperatures, water scarcity and land-use conflicts, all of which threaten agricultural productivity, social cohesion, territorial balance, infrastructure stability and the quality of life of local residents—factors that contribute to rural depopulation.
The Rural Transition Labs initiative offers an innovative solution by transforming rural communities into centres of innovation and resilience. Here, concrete, participatory solutions are developed to tackle climate-related threats such as water shortages and biodiversity loss.
Funded by the Interreg Sudoe VI Programme, RTL seeks to foster a new form of participatory climate governance through co-constructed local strategies, community engagement and innovative digital tools—most notably a GIS platform.
Adopting a systemic, ecosystem-based approach, the project will deliver three pilot schemes:
- Póvoa de Lanhoso, Portugal: an ecological strategy for urban green spaces using low-water-demand vegetation.
- Cartagena, Spain: a solar-powered atmospheric moisture-condensation system to support agriculture in arid terrain.
- Est Creuse, France: the restoration of traditional hedgerows for water retention and biodiversity enhancement.
Each pilot will serve as a testbed for sustainable water management, biodiversity promotion and climate adaptation. Solutions will be designed, trialled and refined in close cooperation with local communities to help them adjust to a changing climate and bolster their resilience.
RTL’s partners include RURENER (the European network of rural energy-transition communities), CETENMA (Technological Centre for Energy and the Environment), the Ayuntamiento de Cartagena, the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, the Institute for Research in Science and Sustainability Technologies, the Syndicat Mixte Est Creuse Développement, the Comunidade Intermunicipal do Ave and the Municipality of Póvoa de Lanhoso.
The ultimate goal? To establish a scalable, replicable network of Rural Transition Labs across Southern Europe, empowering rural communities to lead the ecological transition.
Rural Transition Labs is more than a project—it is a movement towards a more sustainable and resilient rural future!