23/10/2025 Round Table: Youth Employment and Rural Entrepreneurship
23/10/2025 Round Table: Youth Employment and Rural Entrepreneurship
Embedded Files
📅 Thursday 23 october 2025 – 🕕 18:00 CEST
💻 Link to Zoom recording: with automated synthesis and translation.
Link to YouTube recording Round Table: Youth Employment and Rural Entrepreneurship
Language: Italian (with translated subtitles)
About this session
About this session
The final roundtable meeting for the Highland Community Manager Erasmus Plus project focused on training and certifying community managers for rural areas, with discussions centred on youth engagement, social inclusivity, and rural entrepreneurship. Three experts shared their experiences in rural innovation, youth entrepreneurship, and technology implementation, highlighting successful initiatives and strategies for connecting young people with rural development opportunities. The conversation ended with discussions about leveraging technology and innovation to revitalise rural areas, including ideas for tourism enhancement and creating networking opportunities between rural communities.
Our Panelists
Our Panelists
🎙️ Speakers:
Marina Milanović, (Serbia) EU Projects Consultant & President of Digital Decanters | Promoting rural innovation and youth entrepreneurship across Europe
Simone Klinkon, (Italy) Technology Consultant, Founder of SMAS APS and creator of the Fiera dell’Innovazione di Sovramonte, promoting tech innovation in rural and mountain areas.
Javier Expósito: (Spain) Founder of Exportory & Alvacor | President of ASED NGO | Expert in Internationalisation, Vocational Training & Rural Innovation
16/10/2025. h:18:00 Round Table: Cultural programs to promote diversity
16/10/2025. h:18:00 Round Table: Cultural programs to promote diversity
📅 Thursday 16 September 2025 – 🕕 18:00 CEST
💻 Zoom HiCoMa: Cultural programs to promote diversity Recording with multilingual subtitle
Language: Italian (with translated subtitles) • Participation: Free (registration required)
About this session
About this session
The meeting focused on the Highland Community Manager Project, a training program funded by Erasmus+ that emphasizes youth engagement and social inclusion through participatory processes. Presentations were given by Marco Basi and Lorenzo Chi discussing the importance of social science in managing highland areas and the role of Indigenous communities in conservation efforts, along with examples from the Transistor project in Italy. The discussion explored challenges and strategies for connecting different age groups and perspectives in rural and urban areas, with emphasis on sustainable involvement and monitoring, while also announcing the reopening of student enrollment for the Europass Highland
Our Panelists
Our Panelists
Lorenzo Ci – Lorenzo designs and leads collective projects that connect culture, environment, and social innovation—from “Valdisieve in Transizione” to Disco Soupe Firenze (community kitchens to reduce food waste) and FacilitArte (creative facilitation). He uses storytelling, grassroots facilitation, and collaborative governance to empower young people, migrants, and underrepresented groups—helping communities to “take care” of their spaces and relations as common goods. Lorenzo also documents these experiences as a filmmaker, amplifying voices from below and showcasing the power of collective action.
Marco Bassi –ICCA Consortium (www.iccaconsortium.org) is a global network working to recognize, support, and defend territories and areas conserved by Indigenous Peoples and local communities (“territories of life”), promoting governance of common goods for the benefit of both people and nature. Marco has researched and taught in Europe, Africa, and America—including at Addis Ababa University, Bologna, Oxford, and Johns Hopkins. He is a leading advocate for the rights of minority and pastoralist communities, and for participatory governance of biodiversity and rural heritage. Former President of the Italian Association for Applied Anthropology (SIAA) and co-director of the journal Antropologia Pubblica, Marco currently brings a European perspective to community-led conservation and social inclusion through his work with the ICCA Consortium.
18/09/2025 h:18:00 RT: Research and Community Projects for the Conservation of the Environment
18/09/2025 h:18:00 RT: Research and Community Projects for the Conservation of the Environment
📅 Thursday 18 September 2025 – 🕕 18:00 CEST
🎥 Zoom recording with Smart Chapters: 2025.09.18-RT: Community projects for the conservation of the environment
🎥 Youtube recording with AI Dubbing 2025.09.18-RT: Community projects for the conservation of the environment
Language: English (with translated subtitles)
About this session
About this session
This HiCoMa Roundtable, brought together experts to discuss environmental sustainability and climate resilience in mountain and coastal systems. The discussion explored interconnected environmental challenges across different landscapes, including the impact of climate change on forests, wildfire management, coastal ecosystem services, and the importance of balancing traditional knowledge with scientific approaches in community engagement. The participants emphasised the need for interdisciplinary collaboration between scientists, policymakers, and local communities to address complex environmental issues and promote adaptive strategies for resilience.
🌳 Forests – how shared forest governance, wildfire prevention, and digital tools can help restore and protect ecosystems.
🌊 Marine & Coastal Systems – how mapping ecosystem services reveals nature’s value for communities, from the sea to the highlands.
🌍 Anthropology of Landscapes – how memory, culture, and governance shape community resilience in the face of climate change.
Our Panelists
Our Panelists
Andrew S. Mathews – Professor of Anthropology, UC Santa Cruz. Environmental anthropologist specialising in forests, wildfires, and rural landscapes.
Silvia Rova – Ecologist & Program Manager, International Centre for Climate Change Research and Studies; researcher at Ca’ Foscari University. Specialist in ecosystem services and climate change scenarios.
Round Table Community Resilience through Agroecology, Food Heritage, and More-than-Human Relations”
Language: IT with translated Subtitles
Alessandra Guigoni: emphasized food as a “total social fact”: a cultural totem that shapes identity, cohesion, and sustainable local economies. Through her Sardinian research, she showed how traditional food products and agro-biodiversity can counter depopulation and create new community-based opportunities in tourism and gastronomy.
Greca N. Meloni: introduced the concept of More-than-Humans, stressing the agency of bees and landscapes in co-producing resilience. Beekeeping, she explained, is not just about honey but about regenerating ecosystems, supporting biodiversity, and creating shared landscapes. Bees exemplify cooperation and adaptation in climate-affected territories.
Francesco Di Iacovo: focused on multifunctional agriculture and social farming as tools to strengthen resilience. He highlighted participatory governance, integration of vulnerable groups, and the role of universities as public resources. Community resilience, he argued, depends on inclusive models where institutions, farmers, and citizens cooperate effectively.
Quick summary
Quick summary
The roundtable revealed how agriculture, food, and bees are interconnected pillars of resilience. Guigoni highlighted food heritage as identity and economy, Meloni showed bees as key actors in biodiversity and regeneration, and Di Iacovo stressed participatory social farming. Together, they offered a vision of resilient communities built through human and More-than-Human cooperation.
04/09/2025 Sustainable agricultural practices and agroecology
04/09/2025 Sustainable agricultural practices and agroecology
Recordind Round Table 04/09/2025 Sustainable agricultural practices and agroecology
Language: IT with translated Subtitles
🌱 Viola Di Tullio led a deep reflection on the relationship between humans and non-humans, highlighting how plants and other elements of the landscape actively shape our ecological and communal vision. A compelling invitation to rethink urban greenery and how we care for it.
🐝 Sara Spissu brought to the table the urgent need for dialogue between biology and society: starting from the case of invasive wasps in Sardinia, she showed how poor environmental communication can spark collective hysteria. A strong call for more ethical and informed science outreach.
🌲 Paolo Varese shared his experience across Italy and France in forest management. He challenged the dualism between "wild" and "domesticated," proposing a vision where traditional practices and innovation work together to protect ecosystems and revitalize local economies.
Quick summary
Quick summary
the meeting focused on environmental sustainability and climate change, with participants discussing agricultural practices, urban greenery, and the impact of invasive species. Experts shared their research and experiences in environmental anthropology, biology, and forestry, exploring the role of community managers in promoting sustainable practices and engaging local communities. The discussion highlighted the importance of participatory projects, active citizenship, and effective communication in addressing environmental challenges, with participants reflecting on the need for shared decision-making processes and ongoing dialogue.
Language: EN with subtitles
Theme: AI and Data Management: Tools for Sustainable Development in Rural and Highland Areas
Theme: AI and Data Management: Tools for Sustainable Development in Rural and Highland Areas
As remote work and digital tools reshape the future of rural areas, how can we harness them for regeneration, inclusion and innovation? This HiCoMa Key Lesson explores best practices, inspiring case studies, and real-world strategies
Our speakers:
Giovanni Filippi (Italy) – General Secretary, Associazione Italiana Nomadi Digitali
Simona Solvi (Italy) – President, Start-working Pontremoli APS & Consultant at P4I – Digital360
Javier Expósito (Spain) – Founder of Exportory & Alvacor, President of ACID NGO
Oliviu Matei (Romania) – Professor of AI & CEO, HOLISUN SRL
Marcela Iglesias (Chile/Italy) – Psychologist & Environmental Facilitator, The Kairos Project
Fabio Malfatti Moderator
𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝘂𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲! Let’s talk about how technology, data and collaboration can drive regeneration in rural Europe.
Zoom Link:
More info and link to register at www.hicoma.eu
#HiCoMa #DigitalRural #RemoteCollaboration #RuralInnovation #SmartFarming #AIforGood #CommunityManager #DigitalTransformation #DigitalTools
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Quick summary
Quick summary
The meeting focused on the Highland Community Manager Project's educational program, emphasizing the importance of understanding and addressing challenges faced by mountainous regions and internal areas in Italy, including demographic changes and climate adaptation needs. The discussion explored digital tools and remote collaboration opportunities, with presentations from various experts highlighting successful initiatives in promoting ethical digital nomadism and sustainable rural development across Europe. The group concluded by addressing the challenges of integrating newcomers into rural communities, emphasizing the importance of building connections through AI, local networks, and human-centric approaches, with plans for future meetings focused on climate change and youth engagement.
Round Table 17/07/2025 Round Table AI and Data Management
Language: EN with subtitles
Tamta Mumulaidze, expert in digital tools and founder of innovative agri-tech initiatives in Georgia;
Alfiya Cayumova, CEO and founder of Green Growth, with experience in data-driven decision-making for sustainable agriculture;
Adrian Olteanu, Student in AI engineer and researcher from Romania and the Netherlands, with a focus on applications of AI for autonomous farms and rural support systems."
Quick summary
Quick summary
The Roundtable focused on exploring AI and data management applications in rural agriculture, with participants from Georgia, Romania, and Latvia sharing insights about various technological solutions and their implementation challenges. The discussion covered demographic challenges in agriculture, including an ageing workforce and the need to attract younger generations, while addressing concerns about traditional farmers' resistance to technological changes and the importance of preserving local knowledge while adopting modern innovations. The conversation ended with discussions about developing AI-based solutions for polyculture agriculture and the need for collaboration between different expertise areas to create inclusive and accessible digital platforms for farmers.
Full Summary
Full Summary
The Tuesday 17th Roundtable for Highland Community Manager Project began with Fabio welcoming participants and explaining that the session would be recorded. He noted that this was the third roundtable of the month and mentioned that the next key lesson would take place on the 26th. Participants were reminded to turn off their cameras if they did not want to be recorded and to change their names if necessary, as this was an informal session.
AI for Rural Agriculture Innovation
The meeting focused on AI and data management in rural agriculture, with speakers from Georgia, Romania, and Latvia sharing insights. Tamta from Georgia presented Agronapsis, a platform developed by the Georgian Farmers Association to support farmers with AI-driven crop suggestions. Adrian from Romania discussed the use of AI in small-scale farming, highlighting crop monitoring, soil management, and smart machinery. Alfiya from Latvia, who has experience with autonomous driving systems for agriculture, emphasized the potential of AI to improve efficiency and reduce costs in farming. The discussion aimed to explore how these technologies can benefit small family farmers in rural areas.
AI in Agriculture: Challenges and Solutions
Alfiya discussed the challenges of implementing AI in agriculture, emphasizing the need for data collection and analysis to develop practical tools that address farmers' specific needs. She highlighted the importance of gathering yield data from various crops to create effective AI solutions. Fabio agreed with Alfiya's perspective, adding that climate change requires integrating traditional and new knowledge, as well as improving digital literacy among farmers. Tamta suggested involving the youth generation in modernising agriculture through digital tools, given their familiarity with technology, which is particularly relevant in Georgia's ageing agricultural workforce.
AI Integration in Traditional Farming
The group discussed strategies for integrating AI and technology into traditional farming methods, with Adrian suggesting a hybrid approach that automates certain processes to minimize direct interaction with older farmers while preparing for future AI adoption. Alfiya highlighted the demographic challenge in European agriculture, noting that 35% of farmers are over 65, and shared EIT's research findings about young people's reluctance to enter the sector due to perceptions of hard work, isolation, and limited financial opportunities. The discussion concluded with Alfiya emphasizing the need to transform the older generation's mindset to view agriculture as a business rather than a heritage practice, leveraging climate change as a driver for adopting more efficient methods.
Italian Agriculture Demographic Challenges
The group discussed demographic challenges in Italian agriculture, where Fabio explained that in 30 years, there will be approximately 300,000 people over the age of 60, leading to an aging population and abandoned landscapes. Tamta suggested mixing traditional and modern sectors like green tech and agritech to attract younger generations, while Adrian raised concerns about traditional farmers potentially resisting technological changes. Alfiya and Fabio agreed that change is necessary to adapt to modern realities, though some traditional farmers may need to transition out of agriculture, and the project aims to combine traditional knowledge with scientific innovation.
Overcoming Skepticism in Agri-Technologies
The group discussed challenges in adopting modern agricultural technologies, particularly among skeptical farmers. Tamta highlighted the need for more trust and confidence in technology, noting that Georgia faces difficulties in data collection due to its diverse regions. They explored how AI models and existing tools like ChatGPT could help optimize knowledge exchange and farming practices. The conversation also touched on the importance of education and marketing solutions to promote technological adoption in rural areas, with Fabio and Adrian agreeing that overcoming skepticism would be a significant hurdle in implementing new agricultural innovations.
AI-Driven Local Farming Solutions
The group discussed developing a local farming knowledge transmission system using AI and data collection. Adrian proposed creating a chatbot-based solution that would leverage local data sources, including satellite imagery and sensors, to provide area-specific farming advice. Alfiya emphasized that their role is to provide tools and engage with farmers rather than push them towards digital farming, while Fabio stressed the importance of respecting local traditions and involving farmers in the conversation about farming practices.
AI in Polyculture Agriculture Challenges
The group discussed the role of AI in polyculture agriculture, with Alfiya and Adrian agreeing that while AI could help manage the complexity of multiple crops, there was a significant lack of data for training models due to the scarcity of open datasets for intercropped fields. Fabio highlighted that while there was historical data from the 1950s on polycultures, it needed to be translated into a format usable by AI systems. The conversation ended with Fabio emphasizing the need for collaboration between AI experts, anthropologists, agronomists, and foresters, while also stressing the importance of inclusivity and simplicity in digital platforms, with the next meeting scheduled for the last Saturday of July to close the key lesson session.
Round Table 10/07/2025 Remote working and Temporary residence
Language: EN with subtitles
Tina Koler : Legal expert and consultant empowering local communities through participatory planning and rural-urban innovation. At HiCoMa, she supports sustainable growth by equipping Community Managers to lead inclusive, place-based development.
Koembiya Malfatti Gutierrez social entrepreneur addressing Bolivia’s digital divide through rural internet initiatives. With 29 years of experience, she champions connectivity as a tool for equity, empowering underserved communities with access to education and economic opportunities.
Round Table 03/07/2025 → Web & Territorial Marketing
Language: IT with subtitles
Giorgia Carati Tourism strategist and cultural bridge-builder. At Life Beyond Tourism, she transforms storytelling and heritage into tools for dialogue, community empowerment, and sustainable cooperation across Europe, the Caucasus, and Africa.
Alvise Nicoletti Founder & CEO of ELAN42, where creativity meets code. From freelance roots to digital lab: we design strategies, host dreams & build digital futures. 🚀
Sara Micheletti Documentary photographer blending empathy and participation to tell stories of rural and mountain communities. Her work connects art, education, and territory to spark memory and future possibilities.
28/06/2025 Key Lesson#2 Entrepreneurial & Economic Development Community Leadership & Stakeholder Engagement
28/06/2025 Key Lesson#2 Entrepreneurial & Economic Development Community Leadership & Stakeholder Engagement
Key-Lesson#2 replay (28 giu 2025) → Entrepreneurial & Economic Development
Oana IVan Anthropologist & filmmaker exploring human–nature ties in Romanian landscapes. Assistant Professor at UBB Cluj, collaborating with National Geographic, the World Bank & more through visual storytelling and environmental research.
Paolo Licata Tech entrepreneur driving open innovation and startup ecosystems.
Miguel Carneiro Entrepreneur & ex-mayor driving rural innovation. CEO @ Crius Consulting | Co-founder @ Green Solutions Lab. Passionate about community, EU projects, & renewable energy
Round Table 19/06/2025 → Territorial marketing and digitalisation.
Language: IT with subtitles
Round Table 19/06/2025 → Round Table: Cooperative models and economic governance
Language: IT with subtitles
05/06/2025 Round Table: Business development and financing strategies.
05/06/2025 Round Table: Business development and financing strategies.
Round Table 05/06/2025 recording → Business development and financing strategies
Language: IT with translated subtitles (below podcast synthesis in 4 languages).
Moderator: Fabio Malfatti
Speakers: Walter Moretti (Dolomiti Hub), Andrea Zanzini (Appennino L'Hub), and Simona Solvi (Start Working Pontremoli).
The discussion focused on revitalisation and sustainable development in rural and highland areas, aligning with the HiCoMa project’s goal to build a European network of Highland Community Managers.
Each speaker presented their local initiative:
Start Working Pontremoli (Simona Solvi) promotes repopulation of Lunigiana through remote work and digital nomads.
Appennino L'Hub (Andrea Zanzini) acts as an incubator for social enterprises, training and supporting start-ups in fragile mountain areas.
Dolomiti Hub (Walter Moretti) is a multifunctional community space in Belluno that fosters cultural, social, and economic regeneration.
The second part of the webinar focused on financial sustainability and community-based funding models, highlighting the challenges of accessing resources for social enterprises and the need for partnerships among local actors, municipalities, and private investors.
Fabio Malfatti emphasised the importance of non-monetary economies, collaboration, and long-term strategies for social impact.
The meeting concluded with a call to strengthen networks among rural initiatives and an invitation to join the HiCoMa community platform to access materials and earn the Europass Certificate of Highland Community Manager by completing three Key Lessons and one Round Table before January 20, 2026.
Key-Lesson replay (31 May) → Community Leadership & Stakeholder Engagement
Key Topics:
Community and stakeholders' engagement
Participatory processes
Conflict prevention
Link to presented slides
Round-table replay (15 May) – “Understanding Participation in Rural & Highland Areas” → https://zoom.us/rec/share/KeljcsWtYki4_gcw1zLLN0C6wZJqhWJDfcJur-RwRqpaIzAVNdS0KOe7Y3Cinbbg.74E7lj98CocvVZ91
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