43 people trained, 169 participants in co-creation labs and 14 entrepreneurial initiatives supported: RootRural shares the results of cooperation between Spain and Portugal.
On 4 November 2026, the Doña Jimena Adult Education Centre in San Esteban de Gormaz, Spain, hosted the presentation of the results of RootRural · Roots and Horizons, an Erasmus+ project developed by Asociación Tierras Sorianas del Cid and Rural Move.
The event brought together 25 participants, including 20 attending in person. Entrepreneurs, local business representatives and the teams of both partner organisations joined the session, alongside participants from other European regions connecting online.
The partners also presented the Rural Transformation Guide, a practical resource designed to help other organisations apply the project’s methods in their own communities.
A year of cooperation between Spain and Portugal
Running from November 2025 to December 2026, RootRural combines entrepreneurship training, participatory labs, mentoring and international exchanges. Its activities have focused on the southwest of the province of Soria and Miranda do Douro, Portugal.
The project’s results include:
- 43 people trained through eight entrepreneurship workshops, with 114 attendances.
- 169 participants in six territorial co-creation labs.
- 28 rural challenges explored and seven proposals selected for further development.
- 14 entrepreneurial initiatives supported through mentoring, with nine mentors from six European countries.
- 206 responses to a survey on perceptions of rural life and the messages passed on to younger generations.
- Five international events connecting rural initiatives across Europe.
- 96 people connected through the project’s virtual community.
The labs addressed challenges related to tourism, culture, remote working, housing, young people and rural services. They brought together residents, entrepreneurs, associations, businesses and local government representatives to develop proposals rooted in their communities.
Changing how we talk about rural futures
The presentation also explored findings from the survey How We See the Future of Our Rural Communities, conducted in Spain and Portugal.
43% of respondents said they frequently hear the phrase “there is no future here”. Yet respondents also highlighted quality of life, peace and quiet, contact with nature and close community relationships as positive aspects of rural life.
RootRural has worked with families, educators and community stakeholders to recognise the difficulties facing rural areas while making their opportunities more visible, helping young people imagine different possibilities for staying, returning or starting a project.
A practical guide for other rural communities
The Rural Transformation Guide brings together the methodology, experiences and lessons learned throughout the project.
It explains how to organise entrepreneurship workshops, participatory labs, mentoring programmes, activities with families and educational communities, virtual networks and international exchanges.
Designed for associations, local authorities, Local Action Groups and development organisations, the guide offers practical methods that can be adapted to other rural contexts.
Explore the guide and project resources in the Materials section.
Continuing beyond the project
Although RootRural officially concludes in December 2026, both partners aim to sustain the relationships created and explore opportunities to apply the methodology in other territories.
The next steps include following up with participating entrepreneurs and the proposals developed through the labs, while maintaining connections between communities, mentors and European organisations.
Roots and Horizons: Cultivating a Culture of Opportunities in the Territory
Funded by: European Union through the Erasmus+ (2025-1-ES01-KA210-ADU-000353379),in collaboration with the Spanish National Agency SEPIE.
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.
