Exploring Innovative Responses to Rural Demographic Challenges

Join the First RUSTIK Regional Workshop

Date: 5th June 2025

Time: 14:00 – 16:00 EET
Location: Vaarasali Auditorium, Koli Nature Centre Ukko, Finland  & Online

Check the full agenda

Register here

 

Across Europe, rural regions are facing complex and rapidly evolving demographic challenges — from youth outmigration to changing labour market needs and shifting patterns of immigration. Addressing these issues calls for tailored, place-based solutions rooted in both research and practice.

On 5th June 2025, the first RUSTIK Regional Dissemination Workshop, titled “RUSTIK Living Labs in Action: Responding to Rural Demographic Challenges”, will bring together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to exchange insights and inspire change.

Why This Workshop Matters

Rural areas are not uniform — each faces unique challenges and opportunities when it comes to demographic shifts. Yet, through shared dialogue and the exchange of good practices, regions can learn from each other and co-create more resilient futures. The RUSTIK project supports this goal by developing Living Labs — regional innovation hubs that experiment with real-world solutions to rural issues.

This workshop focuses specifically on labour market dynamics, immigration, and youth engagement, spotlighting work from three RUSTIK Living Labs:

What to Expect

This two-hour hybrid event is designed to be both informative and interactive. The program features expert presentations, Living Lab case studies, and a moderated panel discussion. Participants can contribute questions and insights in real time through online tools like Slido, ensuring dynamic engagement from both on-site and remote attendees.

Join Us — Onsite or Online

Whether you’re a regional policymaker, researcher, civil servant, or rural development practitioner, this workshop is an opportunity to connect with a growing European network committed to rethinking rural futures.

Mark your calendar and get ready to share, learn, and co-create.

RUSTIK at the RSA 2025 Annual Conference in Porto

The RUSTIK project is participating in the 2025 Regional Studies Association (RSA) Annual Conference, taking place from 6–9 May 2025 at the Faculty of Economics, University of Porto, Portugal. The conference gathers researchers, policymakers, and practitioners from across the globe to discuss pressing regional development challenges, and RUSTIK is proud to contribute to these conversations with two key presentations that reflect our project’s commitment to advancing data-informed rural policymaking.

A highlight of RUSTIK’s presence at the conference will be the presentation by Francesco Mantino and Barbara Forcina, from CREA – Research Centre for Agricultural Policies and Bioeconomy, titled “Analysing the Agri-food Chain Impacts on the Broader Local Economy through a Set of Governance Indicators: An Application to Two Processed Tomato Chains in Europe.” This research introduces a new approach to measuring the effects of agri-food supply chain governance on local economic development and territorial resilience, with case studies from Northern Italy and Extremadura (Spain). This session will take place on Wednesday, 7 May 2025, from 14:00 to 16:00 WEST in Room 613 (Bloco 600), as part of the “Sustainability Transitions and the Environment: Farming and Eco-Restoration” theme.

In addition, Francesco Mantino, Research Director at CREA-PB and leader of RUSTIK Work Package 1 (“Understanding”), will also present his study “Understanding and Measuring how Demographic Changes Impact Rural Areas and their Diverse Responses to European Policies.” This work develops a typology of rural areas based on demographic change and evaluates how these patterns influence the uptake of EU funding across Italy. Using both aspatial and spatial econometric models, the research provides insights into how local demographic conditions shape access to RDP, ERDF, and ESF programmes, highlighting the need for more territorially sensitive approaches to EU funding mechanisms. This second session will take place during the “JRC: Smarter, Stronger and Resilient Rural Areas I” panel on Wednesday, 7 May 2025, from 16:30 to 18:30 WEST, in Room 163.

These contributions showcase RUSTIK’s broader aim of enhancing the evidence base for rural policy design and supporting the implementation of context-aware, inclusive strategies for rural development. We are proud to collaborate with leading experts and institutions in this effort and look forward to sharing key outcomes from the conference.

For more information about the conference, visit: https://www.regionalstudies.org/events/2025-annual-conference-porto/

RUSTIK to Feature at the European Congress on Renewal and Rural Development in Poznań

On the second day of the European Congress on Renewal and Rural Development, taking place from 8 to 10 May at the MTP Poznań Expo, the RUSTIK project will be featured in a dedicated session focused on strengthening rural communities through sustainable transformation.

The Congress, organised by the Polish Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in cooperation with the Greater Poland regional government and under the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, brings together over 1,500 participants from across Europe, including policymakers, researchers, NGOs, and rural leaders.

During the session titled “RUSTIK: Strengthening rural communities on their way to sustainable transformation”, our partners Ewa Korcelli-Olejniczak from the Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization (IGSO PAS) will represent the Woj. Mazowieckie Living Lab in Poland (this Living Lab is co-organised in cooperation with the Foundation for the Development of Polish Agriculture (FDPA)), while Ilona Rac from the University of Ljubljana will represent the Osrednjeslovenska regija Living Lab.

They will present key insights from the RUSTIK project, which supports rural areas in addressing complex challenges through a combination of data-driven analysis and community-based approaches, helping to guide sustainable and inclusive rural transformations.

RUSTIK’s participation aligns with the Congress’s emphasis on rural resilience, inclusive development, and innovation, contributing to the broader conversation on the future of rural Europe.

The event opens on 8 May with a full day dedicated to Greater Poland, Regional Development and Youth, highlighting the region’s achievements in rural renewal, the role of women in leadership, and the perspectives of youth on the future of rural areas. The first day also included sessions on food production, health, education, local governance, and rural tourism, setting the stage for in-depth discussions over the following days.

The Congress continues through 10 May with further sessions on agricultural policy, international cooperation, and the future of rural development in the EU beyond 2027.