In 2025, “Una Terra Inclusiva” (An Inclusive Land) brought the land back to the heart of community life in the inner areas of Gennargentu–Mandrolisai. Developed under Italy’s National Strategy for Inner Areas (SNAI) and implemented by the Gennargentu–Mandrolisai Mountain Community, the project mobilised €600,000 to transform abandoned land into a space for skills, dignity, and new local economies.
Fragile territories, living resources
The initiative involved several mountain municipalities – rich in agricultural knowledge and cultural identity, yet affected by depopulation, ageing, and land abandonment. In this context, bringing uncultivated land back into use was not only an environmental action: it helped counter demographic decline, strengthened social cohesion, and revitalised local economic activity.
Inclusion that generates development
“Una Terra Inclusiva” was a project of territorial and social regeneration. Its core idea was simple and powerful: offering people in vulnerable situations (young people seeking a first job, long-term unemployed, and other vulnerable groups) an active role through agricultural work. Land recovery was combined with social and labour inclusion pathways and targeted training modules – restoring opportunities to people and value to places.
Tradition, innovation, cooperation
The project adopted a generative welfare approach: beneficiaries were not passive recipients of support, but protagonists of a growth pathway. Contact with soil, seasons, and production cycles helped rebuild confidence, skills, and a sense of belonging, with tangible benefits for land stewardship and community life.
A lasting legacy
Environmentally, the intervention promoted biodiversity-friendly practices, improved soil fertility, and contributed to erosion prevention. Bringing land back into production strengthened territorial stewardship, positively affecting landscape management and water resources. Economically and socially, the model activated territorial networks among public bodies, farm businesses, and the third sector, opened up employment opportunities, and created training pathways that can be replicated in other contexts. Overall, it mapped a route towards new forms of integrated and sustainable local development.
Rurinnova’s contribution
Rurinnova supported the project’s conception and drafting, working with the Mountain Community to define objectives, the technical and financial architecture, and the integrated design of actions. We developed the logical framework, methodology, and impact strategies, connecting innovation, inclusion, and sustainability. While we did not take part in implementation, we helped translate a vision into a concrete, funded project – capable of generating public value and strengthening local institutional capacity.
In short, “Una Terra Inclusiva” showed that every reclaimed field can become a piece of the future: a place where work, community, and the environment come together to restore meaning and opportunity to inner areas.
