Basilicata: Bridging Awareness Gap in Rural Shrinking Issues

On February 22, 2024, a crucial dialogue on rural resilience and the potential of smart villages was held in the town of Atella in Basilicata. Organised by Sviluppo Basilicata spa in collaboration with InnovA, the workshop gathered around 25 attendees—spanning municipal institutions, social cooperatives, local associations, and key economic operators. The gathering aimed to address the challenges facing rural areas and explore sustainable growth strategies.

The workshop was a confluence of expert insights, community engagement, and interactive participation. Patrizia Orofino, Project Manager at Sviluppo Basilicata, set the tone by underscoring the imperative of embracing the smart village model for the Vulture area's upliftment. Giancarlo Dell'Orco shared the transformative journey of Santa Fiora into a digital hub, drawing parallels to the potential within Basilicata. Gennaro Claps and Omar Arcieri further enriched the discussion with perspectives on digital transition and energy efficiency, highlighting the broader implications for rural resilience.

A significant portion of the workshop was dedicated to grasp the community's awareness of the current degree of regional problems – aging population, the NEET phenomenon and youth emigration, digital divide digital mismatch, energy poverty risks, and health systems performance – through a Mentimeter quiz and focus group discussions. This interactive segment revealed a community eager to engage in the local development discourse, albeit with varying levels of awareness about the issues at hand.

Key outcomes from the workshop included:

• A heightened awareness of the challenges and opportunities within the territory.
• A mapping of good practices, revealing varied approaches to resilience, from institutional initiatives to community-led efforts and collaborations with external investors. Examples such as the adventurous zip lines in Pietrapertosa and Castelmezzano, and public art initiatives in Sant'Angelo Le Fratte, showcased how community-driven and institutional efforts could symbiotically strengthen local development.
• A consensus on the need for increased employment opportunities, sustainable tourism, and the valorisation of natural and cultural resources.
• Suggestions for future actions, including the creation of employment opportunities through digital transformation, fostering public-private partnerships, and establishing community cooperatives for managing local services.

As the CASPER project moves forward, the insights and proposals from this workshop will help us plan better ways to make rural areas stronger. This work could also give us a model that other places like Basilicata can use for their own development.