On April 3rd, the ENGINE team member Marilena Labianca (Prof. in Economic and Political Geography) organised a workshop on ”Resilience and Development in Rural and Marginal areas” at the Department of Economics – University of Foggia.
The event focused on long-term development strategies for rural and marginal territories, providing students with valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities encountered in these areas, with particular emphasis on the Daunian Mountains case study. The session also served as an excellent platform to introduce the ENGINE project to its attendees, mainly students and local stakeholders.
Labianca facilitated an engaging discussion between students and invited speakers Pasquale De Vita (President) and Daniele Borrelli (Director) from the Daunian Mountains Local Action Group Meridaunia. The speakers shared valuable perspectives on the organisation’s approach to rural development, offering concrete examples of how strategies aimed at fostering community innovation, diversifying economic activities, and increasing tourism have been implemented to counter land abandonment and depopulation, two of the most pressing issues facing the area.
As one of ENGINE’s key stakeholders, Meridaunia provided essential feedback on the project’s mapping of innovative initiatives in the Province of Foggia, helping to assess whether rural local resources (RLR) and rural development potentials (RDP) are accurately and effectively represented.
