On October 30–31, 2025, the final conference of the EU Horizon project “Agroforestry Business Innovation Models” (AF4EU) took place at IRET in Porano, Italy. The project, running from January 2023 to December 2025, involved 11 local networks – Regional Agroforestry Innovation Networks (RAIN) – of actors from agricultural and forestry systems across 10 EU Member States.
The Italian conference, titled “Regenerating Territories and Repopulating Communities”, was organized in collaboration with the Biodistrict Lago di Bolsena, a local partner, and gathered over 100 participants. The event showcased the results of the European project and explored practical applications, focusing on the European AKIS agricultural innovation strategy and the creation of local Operational Groups for agroforestry and agroecology. These initiatives are key tools for enhancing the value of hilly and mountainous rural areas, supported by the Common Agricultural Policy funds.
Rural and marginal areas, increasingly threatened by climate change, face risks such as abandonment and the intensification of extreme events, including forest fires and hydrogeomorphological hazards. At the same time, these areas are crucial resources to protect and valorize. They can serve as buffers against urban stress, including air pollution and heatwaves, and host vital ecosystem services, from water regulation to biodiversity conservation and the production of high-quality agro-food products.
The phenomenon of neo-ruralism, with people returning to rural life in various forms, intersects with these environmental, social, and economic transformations, shaping important directions in today’s food systems.
The broad participation of politicians, local administrators, academics, and rural practitioners highlighted the high expectations for agroecological strategies as instruments for regenerating territories and repopulating communities in these areas.
