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III. Rural Europe -
a journey through time
E
urope has fundamentally changed With the fall of the iron curtain, the
since we started travelling European Community was an invitation
through its highly diverse countryside to enlarge our spirit and perspectives.
twenty-five years ago. We were keen European Institutions had to deal
to discover what sustainable rural with many changes at a time, such as
development might be. We were very formerly ignored social and ecological
lucky that our funders shared this challenges and the inclusion of new
curiosity. people into the European Community
Back then, climate change was
from Eastern Europe. We could feel
“Rural Europe - its
people, farming, land-
use, and forestry - has
huge potential and also
real responsibilities to
play its active part in the
necessary transition.”
not seen as an issue - people rarely in our workshops that formerly stable talked or worried about it. The world conditions and convictions had can be found in the resource center
wide web was only just beginning virtually dissolved and that people on our website. Our authors have
to emerge. We travelled using maps working with us were puzzled by the instead told their story of working
and we still used faxes to exchange rapid change. with Forum Synergies and its
Today change comes even faster. networks over the years. We take you
Europeans are evermore perplexed to the rural people and places where
find and meet the people who had by global concerns. In rural areas change is happening. The places
started working on more sustainable many people feel marginalised and and people you will meet have taken
practices in rural places. forgotten and are the prey of new their destiny into their hands. Through
nationalism and Euroscepticism. Even Forum Synergies and the many
us to connect with data and people ethnic borders are back in people’s partners we work with, people and
quickly. Our access to data seems minds - also in parts of rural Europe. places are increasingly connected,
information.
It took much time and effort to
Today’s communication tools allow
unlimited. But that does not mean
And today our children are in the
and slowly we are reaching the
that we can solve the many problems streets calling upon us to act fast critical mass needed for large-scale
we face today faster and better. In the against climate breakdown and change.
face of climate change, environmental biodiversity collapse. We must indeed crisis and fractious global politics, mobilise momentum to change our experience of encounters, successful
our way of life, our farming practices, economies and lifestyles. methods of collective action. These
food choices and land use will have
Rural Europe - its people, farming,
With this book we share our
are not recipes or recommendations
to fundamentally change in a short land-use, and forestry - has huge for your own journey through rural
time. We will have to work out how to potential and also real responsibilities Europe. But we believe that in the
work together, to collectively make to play its active part in the necessary coming 25 years we need to get our
the transition. transition. act together for a radical transition
When we started travelling, Europe
had its doors and windows wide open.
This book is not a handbook on
rural success stories. Those stories
towards resilient rural economies and
communities.
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