RELEVA | Agro-silvo-pastoral initiative for green infrastructure

RELEVA is a project that supports generational succession processes on extensive livestock farms and in agro-sylvo-pastoral systems.

Many farms today face the same situation: their owners are approaching retirement and cannot find anyone to take over the business. In many rural areas, this does not merely mean the closure of a farm, but also population loss, the abandonment of the land, the deterioration of the landscape and increased vulnerability to fires and other effects of climate change.

To address this challenge, RELEVA will connect farms without a clear successor with people interested in joining the sector, combining training, technical guidance, practical tools and support in developing viable business models.

The project will also focus on improving environmental conditions on pilot farms, demonstrating that generational succession can be an opportunity to strengthen the rural economy, conserve biodiversity and keep the local area vibrant.

Project objectives

• To facilitate genuine succession processes on agro-sylvo-pastoral farms.
• Bringing young people and new talent into the agriculture and livestock sector.
• To improve the economic and environmental viability of farms.
• Promote regenerative and multifunctional management models.
• Strengthen green infrastructure and ecological connectivity.
• To create jobs and opportunities in rural areas.
• To develop tools and methodologies that can be replicated in other regions.

What actions are going to be taken?

The project is structured around several complementary areas of work:

• Establishment of regional networks to support generational succession on rural farms and connect interested parties with farms in need of a successor.
• Development of a collaborative digital platform offering resources, succession opportunities, training materials and practical tools for the sector.
• Development of succession protocols tailored to agro-sylvo-pastoral holdings, addressing legal, economic, social and environmental aspects.
• Technical training and support for the next generation of farmers in regenerative farming, farm management, digitalisation and environmental improvement.
• Programmes to recruit and integrate new staff, providing pathways for gradual integration and local support networks.
• Promoting new rural business models linked to the bioeconomy, productive diversification and regenerative land management.
• Development, in collaboration with the University of Salamanca, of a micro-credential specialising in generational succession in the agro-forestry-pastoral sector.
• Assessment of the social, economic and environmental impact of generational succession on farms and the local area.
• Implementation of environmental improvements on 15 pilot farms through ecological restoration, biodiversity enhancement and sustainable landscape management.

Areas of operation

RELEVA It takes place in rural areas of Andalusia and Castilla-La Mancha, particularly in areas linked to green infrastructure and the Natura 2000 network.

The pilot projects are being carried out in the provinces of Cádiz, Málaga, Seville and Toledo.

Participating organisations 

The project is coordinated by Serranías Vivas and carried out in collaboration with:

• Agroecosystem Foundation
• University of Salamanca
• Tierra Sana Association