Many regions of Europe urgently need the success of a sustainable economy to make the regions crisis-proof, to stabilise the local authority districts, to offer perspectives and to create jobs. Migration and decline must be stopped, marginalisation and poverty fought, inclusion and equal opportunities be guaranteed. The Food movement arising in many European municipalities offers an interesting perspective here.The SIGNAL project (Social innovations of sustainable land use oriented to the common good) concentrates in particular upon municipal and regional added value before this background, in particular in a regional recycling economy under the aspect of the food system. New potentials should thereby be opened, the attraction of the regions increased, its dependence on global commodity flows reduced and its resilience be increased. The focus is on sustainable approaches of regional economic management oriented to the common good. It is about exchange and interlinking of these new approaches of regional cooperation and social innovations. These new cooperation approaches pick out as a central theme on the one hand urban and rural cooperation stronger than up to now and on the other hand indicate the possibilities of a higher resistance of the regions for the purposes of resilience. Here, resilience is understood as a claim to future viability. The knowledge - extending across national boundaries - about approaches of regional production and marketing oriented to the common good that are presently emerging at many locations, often sustained by active citizenship, should be promoted with the SIGNAL project and be made beneficial for the different regions of the partner countries.The SIGNAL project builds on the educational activities of the five participating partner organisations as well as on to two constructive and successful joint partnerships (Grundtvig and Leonardo). As educational institutions and consultation facilities, all partners work together on the question of how an environmentally and socially sustainable development can be coupled with solution approaches for structurally weak regions. Three project meetings for the exchange of good practise are planned. The partner institutions will take part with people directly linked to the organisation. In addition, respectively at least five representatives of regional economy initiatives in the regions in which the meetings take place will be integrated. The gist of SIGNAL is the exchange of good practise on community-oriented, cooperative strategies of regional management and a better interlinking of the educational partners as well as the networks active in this subject area. The second result will be the development of an educational component and other materials. The training course module will complement a jointly compiled training course offer (Curriculum). This Curriculum has stay and return prospects for the rural area as its content. All partners and initiatives have specific knowledge, contacts and different perspectives on the subject from the viewpoint of their regions which are presented and discussed during the exchange visits. At individual level, the employees involved of the partner organisations and initiatives have the possibility to learn from the exchange of good practise. The participants not only get to know more about their own and other European regions. They also experience the general effect of an international exchange program which creates a better understanding for other cultures / people from other European countries. Transnationalisation will not be the goal, but a tool to achieve the common goal. A stronger we-feeling will originate, and the desire to build and improve the Community in the local and regional projects as well as greater self-confidence. The realisation of a common problem, approach and solution, also leads to a better understanding of European identity.The effects can be measured via the use of the products developed as well as the exchange with the partners about the effects of the project and its products. An effectiveness which acts in the width and obtains validity through information and stimulation is measurable through the networks of the partners. With the Curriculum as well as the supplemented presenters list, an instrument which can be used in the long term by other organisations of adult education, municipalities, regions etc. is available. All results are retrievable free of charge on the joint project website in German and on the websites of the partners in the respective languages. Moreover, the results should be offered for a broad audience via the Epale platform.
Many regions of Europe are in desperate need for economic sustainability in order to increase their resilience, stabilise municipalities, to offer prospects and create employment. Emigration and diminution must be stopped, exclusion and poverty encountered, as well as inclusion and equal opportunities ensured. The initiatives for food sovereignty emerging in many European municipalities may offer and outlook on how to meet those needs: regional circulation and enhanced cooperation between rural and urban areas shall open up new perspectives, increase the attractiveness of concerning regions, reduce their dependence from the global flow of commodities and thereby strengthen their resilience. The SIGNAL project was therefore created to connect and exchange between approaches of regional economic activity, social inventions and cooperation under the aspect of the food system in order to impart cross-national knowledge about approaches of regional production and commercialization which are taking place all over different areas mostly carried by civil commitment for the greater good and hence fructify regions. SIGNAL was meant to take up on the educational work of the five partner organizations, as well as two constructive common partnerships (Grundtvig und Leonardo). SPES Zukunftsakadamie took part in representation of Austria. Elles Bulder, an enterprise focusing on research and promotion of rural development, participated for the Netherlands. Poland was represented by Stiftung AgriNatura which is a foundation involved in sustainable development and biological diversity. Germany attended the project through the Federal association of the regional movement and Netzwerk Zukunft Sachsen-Anhalt e.V., an association to enhance network in the field of regionality and sustainability. All partners perceive themselves as establishments for counselling and education to contemplate on how to reinforce structurally weak area or laggard regions by means of ecologically and socially sustainable development. Furthermore, various initiatives for regional economy partook in three reunions of the partner organizations in Borgentreich (G), Scheemda (NL) and Vienna (AU) to exchange on successful practices. They were invited to hold presentations or host excursions and gave report about their achievements and challenges along the way of working hand in hand with citizens using cooperative strategies of regional economy. Since there were no reunions to take place in Poland, polish initiatives were given extra space to present themselves during the three reunions. SIGNAL significantly contributed to enhance networking between partner organizations and engaged networks. The results and expertise could have been implemented in seminars at the university of Groningen, during the Netzwerk21-Kongress (G) and within regional events. The strategies of regional economy to work towards the Greater Good were received with great interest, as in step with actual practice and motivating. In order to arrange for sustainable results in the long run the Curriculum has been developed, which includes a presentation of all initiatives, a catalogue of contributors, a dictionary and PR guidelines, to complement the Curriculum of the Erasmus+-Projects BIEP in a reasonable way. The Curriculum can now serve as outline for main information and assistance to people who are interested in setting up their own initiative. Since all approaches are meant to work out in cooperation they offer many possibilities to address and engage rather uninvolved citizens to make them participate and have them shape the projects just as well. The Curriculum can also serve organizations for adult education, municipalities, regions etc. to support them in their work effort. All the results can be retrieved (in German) on the web page of the project at no charge. The SIGNAL participants concluded inter alia that “it would be of great use to entertain an active exchange between such projects in different countries” and that “education through practical learning is of great worth”. The “Servicestelle Garteln” has been perceived as “a good example of an ecological research institute that supports practical implementation and can easily be transferred to other places, cities or even countries”. The “Regionalwert AG” has been evaluated as a reasonable and ecologically worthwhile cooperation between producers and consumers which furthermore contributes to regional creation of value and development. A great opportunity to protect the environment through food sovereignty.” “ GeLa Ochsenherz is an excellent example of holistic approach to farming” which could also be used in the Netherlands. SIGNAL made for everyone to expand individual knowledge, to get in closer contact to each other and to effectively explore their own and other regions of Europe.