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/
