Unveiling the benefits of digitalization and innovation for rural areas
The dRural project will be presented by Myriam Martín – coordinator of the project from TicBiomed – at the conference on Smart Towns and Territories (Jornada de Pueblos y Territorios Inteligentes), on 29/09/2021, organized by the Centro Demostrador TIC de Extremadura – CDTIC, specifically during the webinar “Pueblos y Territorios Inteligentes: Digitalización e Innovación para el Desarrollo del Mundo Rural”.
The Centro Demostrador TIC de Extremadura arises from a project of Red.es, a Public Business Entity of the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism in collaboration with the Department of Enterprise, Employment and Innovation of the Regional Government of Extremadura. Currently, the project is an initiative of the Directorate General of Digital Agenda of the Regional Government of Extremadura co-financed with FEDER funds from the European Union, framing all our actions within the CDTIC project, whose objective is the enhancement, advice and demonstration of the different projects in the field of Digital Transformation and “Smart Technologies”.
Digitalization is enabling the transformation of economies and societies, allowing greater and better interaction between suppliers and demanders. The digitalization of the economy brings with it the development of new business models, new forms of social and business organization, and new opportunities in the agri-food sector and the rural environment, which will allow its inclusive development and the improvement of the quality of life of its inhabitants.
Reducing the digital divide between rural areas and cities is currently one of the main challenges to curb depopulation and guarantee the quality of life in the rural world. It is essential to implement policies aimed not only at incorporating ICTs in rural areas, but also at promoting the empowerment of rural communities to take advantage of their strengths and competitive advantages to develop new opportunities.
It should be considered that the use of ICTs for rural development provides opportunities to reduce the social gap between towns and cities; however, there are a series of obstacles to overcome so that the use of ICTs can bring these opportunities closer, among which the existence of a connectivity infrastructure is only the first step; education and more specifically digital literacy play a central role.
Disseminating these concepts and encouraging their introduction in rural areas while boosting economic growth and improving citizens’ quality of life is dRural’s main scope. The “Smart towns and territories: digitalization and innovation for the development of the rural world” conference will showcase products and services that add value for the rural world. Mature and fully applicable digital technologies will be addressed, as well as emerging technologies that can add value in the future.
Photo by Beth Macdonald, Unsplash
