The Institut für Ländliche Strukturforschung (IfLS) presented a research paper at the 30th Conference of the European Society for Rural Sociology (ESRS), which took place in Riga, Latvia, from 7 to 11 July 2025. Under the conference theme “Navigating rural transitions: Exploring liveable futures”, international researchers, practitioners and policy-makers came together to discuss current challenges and future prospects for rural areas.
Simone Sterly, a research associate at the IfLS, chaired a thematic working group on inclusive research approaches in rural areas and gave a presentation on participatory planning and decision-making processes within the framework of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The focus was on co-design approaches and improved tools that can support the strategic and sustainable design of policy measures in rural areas.
The collegial exchange with European research partners was particularly valuable, leading to new contacts and opportunities for cooperation. In addition to established topics, current social developments and discourses such as demographic change, generational change, populism in rural areas, health and wellbeing also came increasingly into focus.
Contact person at IfLS: Simone Sterly (sterly[at]ifls.de)
