NURISH is bringing climate adaptation closer to rural communities through a European network of Resilience Hubs (RHs) and Resilience Nodes (RNs). Together, they provide the territorial framework through which the project develops, demonstrates, exchanges and adapts Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and other innovations for climate resilience in rural areas.
The Resilience Hubs are NURISH’s main demonstration territories. They act as real-life environments where the project works with local communities and stakeholders to develop and test combinations of Nature-based Solutions, technological innovations, circular approaches and social practices in response to locally identified climate challenges. Rather than applying the same solution everywhere, each Hub addresses the specific environmental and socio-economic conditions of its territory and generates practical knowledge and experience that can be shared across the NURISH network.
NURISH has four Resilience Hubs, located in Skiathos, Greece (RH1); Athienou, Cyprus (RH2); Ranua and Pudasjärvi, Finland (RH3); and Uttlesford and Epping, United Kingdom (RH4).
The Resilience Nodes, meanwhile, extend this process beyond the main demonstration territories. They provide additional rural contexts where the knowledge, methodologies and lessons generated through the Resilience Hubs can be transferred, adapted and reapplied according to different local needs and conditions. This allows NURISH to explore how approaches developed in one territory can be adjusted to work in another, while also generating new knowledge that can be shared back across the network.
The five Resilience Nodes are located in Western Lesvos, Greece (RN1); Spain (RN2); Valle di Comino, Italy (RN3); Malta (RN4); and Cherwell and West Oxfordshire, United Kingdom (RN5).
Through this interconnected network of Hubs and Nodes, NURISH aims to move beyond isolated demonstration activities and create a continuous process of knowledge exchange, learning, adaptation and replication between rural territories facing different climate risks and socio-economic realities.
Bringing local stakeholders into the process
A central element of this approach is ensuring that the people and organisations who know these territories best are actively involved. Over the past months, NURISH partners have therefore organised a series of Stakeholder Workshops across the Resilience Hubs and Nodes, bringing together local authorities, farmers, businesses, researchers, environmental organisations, community groups, citizens and other relevant local actors.
The workshops have provided a space to introduce NURISH activities in each territory, map relevant stakeholders, identify local climate challenges and capacity-building needs, and discuss how Nature-based Solutions can respond to local priorities.
Because every NURISH territory has its own environmental, social and economic context, the discussions have covered a diverse range of challenges and solutions. These include sustainable water management and water reuse in Mediterranean territories, lake restoration and the potential use of sediments for biogas production in Finland, locally adapted composting and circular use of organic resources in Cyprus, and approaches related to flooding, drought and water retention in the United Kingdom.
Beyond discussing specific solutions, the workshops have helped NURISH partners better understand local experiences, expectations and barriers to implementation. Participants have highlighted issues such as access to funding, technical knowledge, practical training, collaboration between organisations and the importance of involving communities throughout the adaptation process.
The knowledge gathered through these workshops will support the next stages of NURISH, helping ensure that the solutions developed and reapplied across the Resilience Hubs and Nodes respond to real local needs. Through this network, NURISH aims to strengthen knowledge exchange between territories and support rural communities in developing locally adapted pathways towards greater climate resilience.