News

• The CAP Network participated in the IX Culture and Ruralities Forum in Extremadura, where various LEADER projects showed how culture can generate opportunities, social cohesion and identity in rural territories

• The Savia Rural magazine and the compilation of good cultural practices from the PAC Network highlight initiatives that connect heritage, creativity and local development

Culture can also be a tool for generating opportunities, strengthening the social fabric, and revitalizing rural areas. This was one of the main conclusions shared from October 20-22 during the 9th Culture and Ruralities Forum of the Ministry of Culture , held in Zafra (Badajoz), where the CAP Network participated, focusing on the experiences promoted by Local Action Groups ( LAGs ) and the resources that the Network makes available to those working for rural development.

The GALs show how culture drives rural development

One of the most relevant spaces for rural development within the Forum was the experience lab dedicated to the LAGs, a session focused on projects that demonstrate how culture can become a tool for social, economic and territorial transformation.

During this event, initiatives from various rural areas were presented, including Magical Autumn in the Ambroz Valley , promoted by the Association for the Integral Development of the Ambroz Valley ( DIVA ) in Cáceres; Photographic Workday , developed in Rioseco de Soria; Reviscolar Cultura Leader , promoted by the GAL Bajo Aragón-Matarraña in the provinces of Teruel, Castellón and Tarragona; Concilia, being a rural woman , promoted by CEDER Monegros ; andACUERPO. Migration and Rurality in Context , from the Island Association for Rural Development of Gran Canaria .

These projects exemplify how the LEADER approach allows the development of initiatives born from the territory itself, adapted to local needs and built with the participation of the rural population.

Culture, heritage and territory: an opportunity for the peoples

Throughout the various sessions of the meeting, the forum highlighted the importance of culture as a tool for connecting communities, preserving knowledge, and generating new opportunities for the future in rural areas. Among the projects and activities presented, those focused on living heritage, traditional crafts, cultural landscapes, contemporary artistic creation, and inter-territorial cooperation networks stood out.

The CAP Network was also able to learn about experiences related to extensive livestock farming and grazing, as well as activities aimed at recovering and transmitting traditional knowledge that is part of the cultural and productive heritage of rural areas, which we have reported on our social networks.

CAP Network resources for discovering rural culture

The CAP Network has spent years promoting initiatives that demonstrate the close relationship between culture and rural development.

Among them is the special issue of the magazine Savia Rural dedicated to rural culture, where projects and experiences that contribute to revitalizing territories through creativity, heritage, traditional trades and community participation are analyzed.

Its contents included initiatives such as the Sambrona cultural association, the Genalguacil Museum Village , the Wooldreamers project , artistic creation experiences in Garganta la Olla, and an analysis of the role of culture as a pillar of rural sustainability.

The magazine has continued to address this theme in subsequent issues with examples such as Rural Hackers , which combines culture and technology in Galician villages; Alumbra Rural , an artistic residency program to attract talent to rural areas; or reports dedicated to new rural literature, peasant heritage and various cultural initiatives promoted from the territories.

The CAP Network also compiles and disseminates examples of inspiring initiatives in its publication on good cultural practices in rural areas. One of its main resources is the Report on Good Practices in Rural Development , which brings together experiences from all the autonomous communities and includes numerous cultural projects driven from rural areas. Among these are initiatives such as Espazo A Maceta (A Coruña), a space for cultural action centered around creativity; Como Pez en Bicicleta (La Rioja), a cultural center created in a town of about 70 inhabitants; the Aragonese network Mujeres Artistas Rurales (Rural Women Artists ); and the Mutur Beltz project , which connects art, shepherding, and the land in Karrantza.

The CAP Network also promotes activities and events that highlight rural cultural heritage, many of which are included in the Report on Good Business Practices and Agri-food Projects in Rural Areas . These include initiatives such as the Artistic Residency for Good Living , which brings together artists, researchers, shepherds, and local residents around the "Art and Shepherding" project; the Terracultura program , aimed at Local Action Groups (LAGs) throughout Spain to promote community participation through culture; and the Living Transhumance Meeting , focused on valuing this cultural heritage linked to extensive livestock farming.

A shared vision towards the future of rural areas

The participation of the PAC Network in this meeting reinforces the importance of continuing to promote spaces for exchange between administrations, cultural entities, rural development agents and LAGs.

Because, as many of the experiences presented in Zafra demonstrated, rural development can also be built from culture, creativity, local knowledge and the involvement of the communities that inhabit the territory.

👉 Check out the publication on good practices in rural areas from the CAP Network

👉 We also have the Report on good business practices and agri-food projects in rural areas