On October 19, the 1st Conference on Smart Rural Environments was held in Añora, Córdoba. This conference is part of the Smart Rural Land project, launched as a joint initiative of the University of Córdoba and the city of Añora.

During the Conference, which was attended by Carlos Cabanas, Secretary General of Agriculture and Food of MAPAMA, the project Smart Rural Land was presented. This project emerged as a joint initiative of the University of Córdoba and the City Council of Añora and seeks to identify and promote the opportunities that technological advances can offer to boost innovation in rural areas and thus contribute to fostering the development of these territories and reducing the gap that exists between the countryside and the city.

The project's objectives are to promote the creation of new knowledge, create a space for knowledge transfer, analyze new social trends, discover new employment opportunities, and manage rural development.

During the conference, various topics related to the development of new technologies and the role they can play in rural areas were discussed, ranging from their application to service management, to the possibilities that e-commerce offers for rural businesses, and the opportunities that may arise from new digital jobs.

The aspects that must be taken into account to promote the development of new technologies were also discussed, emphasizing the need for specific training, the importance of public-private collaboration, and the need to foster an entrepreneurial culture. To this end, it is essential to create environments that allow professionals from different fields to connect and develop new ideas. In this regard, interesting initiatives were highlighted, such as FIMART, the Smart Rural Innovation Fair, held in Córdoba from October 26 to 28, and the GUADALINFO network of citizen access centers for digital technologies in Andalusia.

Finally, the ERI (Smart Rural Environments) zones were presented. These zones aim to serve as a platform for promoting innovative projects and also as a meeting place through the holding of conferences and seminars on new technologies.
At the end of the conference, the Añora Declaration in favor of the creation and development of Smart Rural Environments was approved. This declaration will serve as a roadmap and reference for Smart Rural Environments.

The concept of Smart Rural Territories is beginning to be addressed at the European level. Thus, within the framework of the European Network for Rural Development (ENRD), a Working Group on Smart Rural Territories (Smart Villages) was created. It held its first meeting on October 26th. Its objective is to identify the necessary tools to revitalize basic rural services through social and digital innovation.