The RootRural / Raíces y Horizontes project continues to develop throughout 2026 with new initiatives aimed at promoting innovation, cooperation and entrepreneurship in rural areas. Following the launch of the training workshops, the project is now moving on to its third strand of work, focused on setting up co-creation and citizen participation laboratories.
These labs will take place to coincide with the exchange visit by entrepreneurs, local stakeholders and social projects from Portugal (Rural Move), which will enrich the process with an international perspective. In this way, participants will not only work on specific local challenges but will also have the opportunity to share experiences, learn about other rural realities and forge links with Portuguese projects.
The workshops are designed as practical, collaborative spaces involving people from the education sector, businesses, associations, public bodies, members of the public and local stakeholders. The aim will be to identify real-world problems, spot opportunities and devise proposals that can be turned into concrete solutions for rural areas.
Furthermore, the project aims to ensure that ideas do not remain merely theoretical. In each lab, one of the most viable proposals will be selected and will receive support and guidance from a professional consultancy firm, with a view to moving towards its potential implementation.
During this phase, two thematic workshops will be held:
- The first event will take place on Tuesday 19 May at Duero Natura in Vildé, and will focus on tourism, culture and leisure as challenges and opportunities for the region. The day will include a visit to the host project, the Duero Natura fish farm, a light lunch featuring trout, and the chance to take part in activities in the natural surroundings, such as canoeing or a walk through the area. (Visit and lunch at 14:00 and the workshop begins at 16:30)
- The second workshop will take place on Wednesday 20 May at Open Orbi, at 17:30 in Lodares de Osma, and will address remote working, co-working, co-living and shared housing as opportunities to encourage people to return to and attract new residents to rural areas. At the end of the workshop, around 8.30 pm, participants will learn about the Open Orbi project and enjoy a wine tasting with Cuarto Lagar, a young winery that represents a success story of returning to the village, accompanied by a light dinner featuring local produce.
With this new phase, RootRural is reinforcing its commitment to active, practical and results-oriented participation. The labs will bring together local knowledge and international expertise, fostering the creation of a collaborative community of entrepreneurs and social projects in Spain and Portugal, capable of generating new ideas, networks and opportunities for the future of the region.
Roots and Horizons: Cultivating a Culture of Opportunities in the Territory
Funded by: Erasmus+ (2025-1-ES01-KA210-ADU-000353379)
The “ROOT RURAL” project is co-funded by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors, Asociación Tierras Sorianas del Cid and Rural Move, and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Spanish Service for the Internationalization of Education (SEPIE). Neither the European Union nor the SEPIE National Agency can be held responsible for them.
