Description
Oliete, a village in Aragon in Teruel province in the Andorra-Sierra de Arcos region of Spain, has an abundance of olive groves, some 70 percent of which were identified as abandoned in 2014. Under the Smart Rural 27 initiative, and inspired by the Scottish Highlands' rural model and ApadrinaUnOlivo.org, the village of Oliete has been using information and communication technologies (ICT) to promote the adoption and protection of the olive trees. Pilot Rural Awakeners Centres have been created through a partnership of Oliete City Council and other local entities, and are serving as entrepreneurship hubs that combine various rural development methodologies and foster capacity building in the use of ICT.
Technology
The Rural Awakeners Centre aims to enhance entrepreneurship in rural areas by leveraging ICT and digital tools with a view to developing the local technological infrastructure and human capacity, and thus to create added value in the rural environment. The initiative envisages the use of the ICT infrastructure in combination with skills training to support the sustainable development in rural areas. Since 2014, in Oliete, the “Apadrina un Olivo” organization (apadrinaunolivo.org) has been working to reverse the rural depopulation in Oliete through the recovery of abandoned olive trees. Abandoned olive trees in the village. Can be adopted for an annual fee, for which ICT tools are employed for the management of the adoption process, to coordinate visits and to streamline the communications between the project and its sponsors. An e-commerce platform handles donations, adoptions and the distribution of Extra Virgin Olive Oil to sponsors, facilitating smooth transactions and engagement.
Target
The main targets of the Rural Awakeners Centre are entrepreneurs, local businesses and the local rural community. The centre aims to attract individuals and organizations with an interest in digital tools and ICT to develop sustainable business projects. ApadrinaUnOlivo.org targets smallholder farmers by enhancing employment opportunities.
Impact
The Smart Rural Awakener Centre seeks to create sustainable business opportunities, and to show that rural areas have a future by leveraging their resources and utilizing the available ICT and digital tools and local capabilities. The apadrinaunolivo.org initiative has recovered 100,000 abandoned centenary olive trees since 2014 through the adoption of an environmental, social and sustainable rural development approach.
Partners
Apadrinaunolivo.org
Four Betters
Better nutrition
Better environment
