The challenges faced by the rural world are well known: few services (e.g. education, health, bad internet) and/or few opportunities for young people. This results in a vicious cycle: older populations without access to services, left alone because young people move to the cities to seek opportunities.
In fact, 38% of municipalities in Spain are at severe risk of depopulation, rural areas lose an average of 5 inhabitants every hour and in 60% of municipalities, there are 2 older people for every child under the age of 15. (EU)
We have to stop this as unfortunately the young people do not end up living a better quality of life in the city. The rural world is so important to the rest of the world, we need to take care of it. Here are 8 social enterprises that are bringing the rural world back to life in Spain:
- Apadrinaunolivo.org generates sustainable rural development by giving value to abandoned or underused natural resources, marketing experiences and producing artisanal and sustainable agro-products (EVOO and canned vegetables), which involve society and companies in the challenge of Empty Spain.
- Rooral was created to bridge the gap between the rural and urban worlds. They organise telework experiences for Rooralistas (teleworkers who come to the village) to explore what it would be like to live in a village for a couple of weeks, slowing down and connecting with themselves, the community and nature. They partner with villages at risk of depopulation to bring the rural and urban world closer together and grow with love. They are creating a network of villages in Spain because in addition to bringing these two worlds closer, they want to value the diversity of the territory.
- PANDORAHUB was created to connect people from the rural world and the urban world through social entrepreneurship, innovation and technology. Specifically, it reactivates the rural territory through the creation and organisation of acceleration programmes for projects with a positive impact, and the support, creation of tools and resources aimed at rural agitators.
- Vanwoow is the first social and collaborative tourism platform that revitalises micro-villages at risk of extinction through itinerant tourism in a campervan or camper van. They have mapped Spanish micro-villages in hidden corners so that adventurous people in search of silence can enjoy their stay in a camper van.
- Almanatura was born in Arroyomolinos de León, a municipality of 950 inhabitants in the Sierra de Aracena y Picos de Aroche, Huelva. It aims to fix the rural population and the reactivation of the rural environment. It is the first B-Corp in Spain and is currently creating a positive impact on the entire rural territory of the country through public-private projects for job creation, entrepreneurship, education, as well as initiatives in the field of health and the use of technology. Listen to Juanjo Manzano, co-founder of Alamanatura here (in Spanish).
- Ruralízate was born to contribute to generate real impact in the territory, promoting the urban-rural union and supporting the inhabitants of our villages. On the one hand, they support people to start up their rural life projects and/or boost their businesses and on the other hand they support local organisations in the development of attractive projects capable of attracting new inhabitants.
- Pueblos Remotos: Pueblos Remotos is a Canarian project that was created to promote sustainable development and a lasting impact on the rural territories of the Islands. They identify local entrepreneurial projects so that groups of people can support them with voluntary work while they telework from the natural environment.
- Guifinet is the network that brings Internet to rural areas. It seems unbelievable but half of the planet still does not have good access to the Internet. Guifinet was born as a voluntary initiative of rural inhabitants with the aim of being able to live and work in their places of origin. For this, having a good Internet was key. Listen to the interview with Ramón Roca, promoter of Guifinet.es here (in Spanish).
