Today, October 4, the emptied Spain is making a strike to demand from the administrations measures that allow to fight against depopulation by uniting people from different groups, origin and ideology to make visible to the political representatives the existence of a problem that they must address urgently . In our organization, Impulso a la Jara, assuming our responsibility as citizens, we have made the decision to join these civic platforms to present a situation to the political parties that have to agree, approve and legislate measures to deal with the unraveling, the inequality and depopulation present in our country. Only through this consensus between civil and political society can the challenge of reversing the demographic movement that in the last century be marked by the migration of a rural and agrarian society to an urban and industrial society be met.
Currently, we are experiencing a historic moment of digital transformation. The fourth industrial revolution is already here and its main characteristic is the speed at which it passes, which constantly modifies the way we live and work and that means that citizens, companies and public administration adapt to a continuous state of change. In this context, there can be a growth in inequalities and greater fragmentation of society that would affect territories included in this emptied Spain, although it may also be an auspicious moment for new migratory movements of urban society to take place again. rural, so it would be necessary to start now, without further delay to prepare for the digital transformation of the rural world.
Six months after the demonstration on March 31 and through the actions that have been promoted in the different territories and based on the characteristics of agility and adaptation to change that guide this new cycle, I think the time has come to change the end of Spain emptied by that of the Spain of opportunities , a Spain rich in quality of life, culture and traditions, open to the future, which wants to express its political, economic and social point of view and also be part of the transformation digital that already affects the entire Spanish territory and where the urban-rural concept should be understood as something complementary and not opposed, as a single two-sided coin.
To start at the political level, in this emptied Spain and also of such wide opportunities, it would be necessary to prioritize the action towards those territories that are in a critical situation , subsisting hardly and with a state financial support and implementing a plan integral that starts from the territory itself, they could be revitalized to channel their future. These types of territories are characterized by poor communication infrastructure, lack or lack of connectivity in new technologies and minimal provision of public and private services for its population. For all this, a public, although also private, investment would be necessary, driven by the effective implementation of a Territorial Corporate Social Responsibility system for companies, and that would serve to support and sustain the Integral Plan that defines each territory and from which it can be obtain as a final result a positive return not only towards the rural world, but towards the whole of Spanish society. A clear example of the territories that are in a critical situation and that with an adequate early intervention could be rescued we have it in the Jara, located between two Autonomous Communities: Castilla-La Mancha and Extremadura.
The territory of the Jara is relatively close to Madrid, but away from the population centers that have grown because they are bordering on the capital. In the Jara, citizens have been the protagonists responsible for lighting the fuse of the transformation. To do this, we have created a different association: Boost to the Jara, we have called it. It is a partnership for Development Cooperation and Social Innovation that is characterized by an autonomous and depoliticized organization, flexible, prepared to act quickly and adapt to changes and based on proactive work dynamics.
Taking into account our environmental, heritage, gastronomic, agricultural and livestock wealth, and betting on entrepreneurship and new market niches related to the circular economy, renewable energies and protection of the environment and biodiversity, we have organized to identify opportunities and Go out to look for drivers and projects for our region.
We seek through our association a culture of cooperation with public institutions, but also with private companies , other foundations and associations in rural areas that already work in our territory, educational and research centers and European organizations. Our commitment is not only with the region of La Jara; also with the rest of Spain emptied, for us, the Spain of opportunities, if they want us to accompany them in the process of replicating our model.
From our responsibility as an association attached to the territory, we have laid the foundations to generate a comprehensive plan in the Region of La Jara, of which we have already defined the main strategic lines agreed in a participatory manner with different actors in the territory. The responsibility of the future government now, is to legislate and apply fiscal measures and resources, improvements in infrastructure, essential supplies, basic services, connectivity and favor the generation of innovation ecosystems where support for social entrepreneurship and the training of people oriented towards needs of the digital age .
Our part is already gone. The fourth industrial revolution needs organizations that are agile and adapted to change, such as Impulso a la Jara.
Now we hope that the other part, which is the responsibility of the institutions (national, regional and local) will be involved with the citizens of La Jara and Spain to launch this first comprehensive regional project of digital transformation of the rural world, for which We offer ourselves as a pilot territory and that will be the germ of the digital transformation of the different regions of Spain. The Jara exists, the Jara has and wants a future , the Jara advances and with it the empty Spain, which we have renamed today as the Spain of opportunities.
Yolanda Martínez Urbina is president of Impulso a la Jara - Association for Development Cooperation and Social Innovation of the Region of La Jara.
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