Three neighbouring regions – Extremadura in Spain, Alentejo and Centro in Portugal – pool resources and exchange best practices to support green growth and employment.
- 03 November 2014
The trans-Formación project is laying the foundation for sustainable and rational production, by training present and future professionals who work in the rural economy. By pooling resources from the three regions and incorporating state-of-the-art technology and knowledge transfer mechanisms, we are building equitable, sustainable, and competitive local development.
Launched in January 2011, the trans-Formación network is revitalising the remote rural areas of Cáceres and Badajoz in Spain and Alto, Central and Baixo Alentejo and Beira Interior Sul in Portugal. Seven training centers provide courses and workshops where more than 500 students thus far have acquired expertise in a wide variety of disciplines such as organic farming, beekeeping, management of natural and scenic resources, forestry conservation, viticulture, bioenergy technologies, ecotourism and rural tourism, among others.
The training network is central, but by no means the only element in a project that involves an impressive array of activities. Overall, close to 5 000 participants in conferences, academic exchanges, fairs and online outreach activities have benefited from the synergies of shared best practices and coordinated policies. Dissemination of project activities and information has reached over 15 000 people, including almost 11 000 visitors to the project’s websites and social media accounts.
71 local companies have been directly involved in the training network and a total of 408 will have benefitted from the project, directly or indirectly, by the time it is completed.
Diversifying production
trans-Formación provides an innovative platform where students are learning to apply new technologies and leverage traditional knowhow in subjects as varied as the legal aspects of marketing organic produce, chemical and quality analysis of wines and spirits, installing and managing beehives, or running a farm geared towards agricultural tourism.
A motivated group of better-prepared, more competitive professionals is set to make an impact on the local economy, expanding the range of commercial activities, creating new companies and improving the performance of existing enterprises.
Long-term benefits
Originally scheduled to end in 2013, the project was prolonged until June 2014 to take full advantage of the structures and mechanisms developed over the past three years. And once the project is concluded, the support structures will continue to operate, multiplying and propagating the positive outcomes. The public-private dynamic that is growing from the committed support of institutional and industrial partners will help ensure the consolidation and continuity of regional cooperation in this area.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for “trans-Formación” is EUR 1 100 000, of which the EU’s European Regional Development Fund is contributing EUR 825 000 from the “–Spain-Portugal” Cross-border Cooperation Operational Programme for the 2007 to 2013 programming period.