The Rural Agreement, organised by the Council of Carballeda de Avia with the collaboration of the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP), the Provincial Council of Ourense, the Xunta de Galicia and the General Secretariat for the Demographic Challenge, gathers mayors, institutions, universities and leading projects from Spain and across Europe over two days. Its aim is to establish a common framework to address rural challenges in an integrated way: housing, economic activity, mobility, land management and social cohesion.

Lucía Escrigas, architect at Fundación RIA, is part of the organising committee and takes part in the presentation of the Muimenta case —a project focused on housing rehabilitation and the reactivation of shared spaces— as well as in moderating the panel “A place to live: housing, rehabilitation and land management.” The discussions highlight the need to promote policies that encourage population settlement and attraction, strengthen productive activities linked to the territory, and foster new dynamics of collaboration between administrations and local communities.

The conference also presents experiences from Galicia, Portugal, Italy and Aragón, showing how small municipalities can lead sustainable transition processes through the use of local resources and community engagement. The conclusions stress the importance of reinforcing cooperation networks and placing the rural environment at the centre of territorial development strategies.

The Rural Agreement concludes today with working sessions aimed at formulating shared lines of action and defining measures and priorities to be included in the agreement itself. A process that seeks to strengthen collective work among institutions, organisations and projects, and to move towards a shared vision of the rural world as a space of future and opportunity.