About this course
Many rural areas around the world face a critical population and economic decline and struggle to attract younger generations to reverse this trend.
An aging population, youth out-migration, lack of employment opportunities, shift to large-scale agriculture and land acquisition by investment companies, are some of the challenges faced in rural areas.
Life in villages has also become ever more challenging: the economic viability of shops and services is under pressure, healthcare facilities are difficult to organize, less support for community work is available and governmental investments decrease.
To break this vicious circle of decline, which not only affects people’s lives but also the spatial quality of rural areas and their sustainable development, we need innovative initiatives that will have a broad impact.
This course provides ideas and insights that help to offer opportunities to young generations in rural areas. Such opportunities are based on international trends that influence the future of how we organize our lives and society. You will learn how these trends can be relevant for rural development.
