Transformative change in rural areas
21. Oct. 2019
Transformative change in European societies often linked to urban centres and their pioneering functions in terms of new technologies and innovations. However, taking a holistic approach that is necessary for transformative change in terms of a sustainable and inclusive economy also means thinking about transformation in the rural regions. Therefore the LiveRuR project implements 13 rural Living Lab pilots in different EU regions as well as in Tunesia and Turkey. These Living Labs are based on a new business model that ZSI has co-developed together with LiveRuR consortium under the lead of the Federal Institute of Agricultural Economics, Rural and Mountain Research (BAB - Austria).
This new business model, the RAIN concept, was first presented and tested at the 29th ÖGA (Austrian Society of Agricultural Economics) Conference on the 19th and 20th of September 2019 at the University of Innsbruck. Under the framework of "Perspectives on Values-Based Supply Chains, the event was used to test the feasibility of the business model concept with experts from different fields such as agriculture, economics, business management and sociology as well practitioners. The feedback of the participants helped to refine the RAIN concept, which will be introduced to the 13 Pilot regions at the next LiveRuR consortium meeting in Reggio Emilia, Italy, from the 12th- 14th of November.
Once elaborated and finalised, the business model will be available to the public and will serve as useful tool for ongoing rural entrepreneurs and agriculturalists towards contributing a more sustainable and inclusive rural economy. More information, including the first publications elaborated in the course of the project can be found at: https://liverur.eu/.
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Tags: open innovation, regional development, rural development, sustainability
