Biodiversity Foundation Project From the Origin: Revaluing the Multiple Contributions of the Rural Environment

The project includes personalized mentoring for 12 women working in various land-related activities, and two training activities: a 20-hour Basic Course on "Contributions of the Rural Environment to Society" and a 30-hour Advanced Course on "Characterization and Assessment of the Environmental, Social, and Economic Contributions Associated with Rural Land-Related Activities. Options for Improvement."

Four autonomous communities (Castilla y León, Andalusia, Extremadura, and Castilla-La Mancha) have been selected, each with a distinctly rural character, affected by depopulation and a lack of job opportunities, but where rural residents manage a rich natural and cultural heritage that makes numerous contributions to society.

The sessions will be blended given the uncertainty of the current situation caused by the pandemic. The courses will be delivered using a virtual e-learning platform already available at USAL.

The advisory services are conceived as pilot projects, which, for demonstration purposes, serve as practical examples in characterizing and quantifying the environmental, social, and economic contributions of different types of economic activities carried out by women in rural areas, which are linked in one way or another to the territory and contribute to population retention. This quantification allows for the identification of a baseline that can be used as a differentiation and competitiveness factor for these products and services, and also allows for the identification of future improvement options.