RURAL CLIMATE LAB: Community rural climate innovation laboratory.

CSO: Fundación Somos Naturaleza 2020
Area: Responsible Production and Consumption, Biodiversity. Carbon footprint and water footprint
Location: Montilla (province of Córdoba)

Type of project

Empower young people and farmers in the municipality of Montilla as potential climate guardians by stimulating their critical thinking, their trust in science, and their knowledge of nature-based solutions for climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Although climate change is now a verifiable reality, we have identified a decline in interest, mobilisation, and advocacy for the climate emergency among the groups we work with: young people and farmers. Young people are disengaged due to a lack of knowledge and because they consider the issue to be so complex that they cannot be part of the solution. This disaffection is compounded by a lack of knowledge and interest in caring for the land. Specifically, we are facing a serious problem of generational renewal in agriculture in the southern countryside of Cordoba. Farmers are disengaged due to misinformation and the politicisation of the 2030 Agenda. That is why the FSN team has begun to develop a theory of change with the goal of ‘activating commitments and measures against climate change,’ which will require transforming the culture of values that underlies this systemic challenge: cultivating awareness, combating misinformation and rebuilding trust in science and scientists.

The project will last 8 months.

Target (Disengaged)

Direct beneficiaries: Young people aged between 14 and 25 (350); Farmers or farm owners (25) and Teachers (40).

Science – Based

The approach used combines five dimensions: Emotional: identification and empathy with real stories; Cognitive: scientific analysis and verification of causes/solutions; Experiential: testing scientific hypotheses in practical cases; Community: collective action through challenges and pilot projects; and • Communicative: public exposure to multiply social impact.

We will use citizen science tools (Natusfera, eBird, iNaturalist) and promote the CONFINT (Youth Conference ‘Let’s Take Care of the Planet’) so that the results and conclusions of this project are publicised at the next national youth conference for the planet.

Gender

The project will promote parity at all levels, including participation, coordination and leadership. The roles of women farmers and young people as spokespersons and mentors will be promoted, with their contributions highlighted through audiovisual clips and digital stories. All materials produced will take gender equality and FAMSI guidelines into account. When designing all working groups, diversity will be considered (in terms of gender, age, and level of knowledge or understanding of the issue). We will implement the ‘Gender and Citizen Science’ approach, which recognises women as producers of knowledge, not just recipients of awareness-raising. The FSN will promote inclusive language and materials that are free of stereotypes. In line with the principle of intersectionality, additional factors of vulnerability, such as age, migration status, educational level and disability, will be recognised to encourage the active participation of diverse groups on equal terms.

Planned activities

• The aim is to activate young people and farmers in the municipality of Montilla as potential climate guardians, awakening their critical thinking, their confidence in science and their knowledge of nature-based solutions for climate change mitigation or adaptation. To increase environmental awareness and sensitivity (we will carry out a pre- and post-measurement) among both young people and farmers. Young people will connect with the reality of the countryside and will be trained in responsible production and consumption.

  The emphasis will be on change through nature-based solutions. Farmers dignify their work by conserving nature and value their measures. Resilient against climate change. Confidence in ecological management increases after visiting other demonstration farms. We will integrate scientific knowledge with local knowledge to provide solutions to real rural challenges.

Action model

• This project is aimed directly at ‘disconnected’ groups but uses innovative techniques that take into account their ‘resistance’. We will use a socio-affective methodological approach combined with a scientific one, as this methodology uses knowledge and critical thinking to produce collective action. We aim to generate transformative educational processes with a socio-affective and scientific approach to help build an aware, critical and active citizenry. We will do this with ‘Doing by learning’ dynamics or educational tools such as Escape rooms, Academic debates or Film forums, among others.