The MARGISTAR COST Action invites its members to contribute to a high-level policy event in Brussels, designed to strengthen the interface between science, policy and practice in the context of marginal regions, ecosystem restoration and climate action.
The Axarquía region of Málaga is one of contradictions. To the tourist, it is a rugged viticulture paradise. To the local farmer, it is a demanding landscape that often asks for more than it gives back. Behind the world-renowned Muscat of Alexandria raisin lies a story of a community fighting to remain rooted in the land while the globalised world moves on.
By Simo Sarkki
Reindeer herding is more than a livelihood in Finland. It is a cultural cornerstone, particularly for the Indigenous Sámi people. However, with...
By Theo Lynn, Irene Christoforidi, and Andrej Ficko
In October 2024, Antonio Monteiro (University of Lisbon, Portugal), Somaye Latifi (Federal Institute of Agricultural Economics, Rural...
The Social Innovation in Marginalised Rural Areas (SIMRA) project, funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, operated from 2016 to 2020. Its main objective was to deepen our understanding of social innovation and innovative governance within agriculture, forestry, and rural development sectors, with a particular focus on Europe's marginalised rural areas as these often lack evidence of successful outcomes and necessary supporting conditions. Read on for an overview of the project, its achievements, and how MARGISTAR will use its findings to uncover further transformation pathways for European marginalised mountain regions.
By Klaus Wagner, Ingrid Machold, and Somaye Latifi (Federal Institute of Agricultural Economics, Rural and Mountain Research (BAB), Vienna)
The number of challenges that mountains...
Mountain areas attract outstanding numbers of tourists. After beaches and islands, they act as the second most demanded outdoor destination for tourism activities. Where agriculture has long been the main source of income and entire areas are characterised by outmigration, tourism has sustainably improved and transformed the working and living conditions of local populations. Based on work being done in Austria, this blog shares insights into how promoting tourism activities in so-called Mountaineering Villages as a means of income diversification beyond traditional sectors can pose as an effective solution in marginalised mountain areas.