The story
Social agents, companies, entrepreneurs, and local administrations from the regions of Altiplano de Granada, Los Vélez, Alto Almanzora, Northwest Murcia, and Guadix join the Aland foundation and the AlVelAl association for a “Manifesto for a Regenerative Territory”.
A meeting that has been the culmination of a series of regional workshops held over the last year in the framework of the European project Bioregional Weaving Lab promoted by the Commonland Foundation and the Ashoka Spain Foundation, which, with the support of the IKEA Allen Plan, are working to strengthen social entrepreneurship in rural areas of Spain.
This meeting was attended by town councils and social agents to share the ideas extracted in each region of the AlVelAl territory and jointly design a strategic plan to carry out regenerative actions in the region and the territory in general.
Three action lines
The Manifesto for a Regenerative Territory is based on three pillars for the sustainable development of the territory: landscape, society, and economy. These are the same lines of action that have been the focus of the work carried out in the various workshops held over the last two years of participatory work and on which those attending this meeting have worked, defining the first actions to be carried out to make a Regenerative Territory a reality.
Thus, through working groups, debates, sharing and presenting of ideas, education, and awareness-raising have been identified as a priority action. Other parallel actions have also been carried out, such as the training of educators to conserve, promote and recover traditional trades, promoting meetings between professionals in the agricultural sector, coordinating entities and administrations, and the work of the local authorities and organisations to ensure that the Territorio Regenerativo becomes a reality, coordinating entities and administrations to form part of this movement by promoting policies aligned with the manifesto, raising awareness and sharing good practices through meetings, encouraging outdoor education, restoring natural spaces, supporting and promoting local produce as well as protecting and conserving traditional water resources.
An opportunity for social entrepreneurship
The Day for a “Manifesto for a Regenerative Territory” was attended by the Ashoka Foundation Spain which, together with IKEA, is working to strengthen social entrepreneurship in Spain and identifying projects for social, economic, and natural transformation in rural territories to support them through the Ashoka Changemakers Challenge, a five-month training programme to structure and validate ideas on social and environmental businesses along with personalised mentoring.
This programme represents a unique opportunity for social entrepreneurs who, with their projects, want to be part of the change and construction of a regenerative territory.
Manifesto for a Regenerative Territory
This manifesto, already signed by more than twenty entities, highlights the common characteristics of our villages, as well as their agricultural and natural resources, including agricultural production in an enclave surrounded by four Natural Parks, for the generation of wealth, the promotion of employment and the repopulation of the territory through regenerative agriculture and sustainable entrepreneurship with the environment.
A manifesto that follows the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda promoted by the UN; which highlights the need for administrations, associations, groups, entities, and individuals to unite and bring their voice to other levels of decision-making. Through this, the territory is committed to promoting the “Regenerative Territory” brand to identify a geographical area with great potential for social and economic development and important areas for increasing biodiversity, in which human beings generate a positive impact on the landscape, helping to mitigate the effects of climate change.
The territory is based on three important axes: people, landscape, and economy.
