In February 2019 I began an undertaking to explore strikingly similar patterns of rural contraction, decline and exodus around the world and create a global community of interest.
My intention was to investigate the similarities and differences in rural communities suffering this fate and the factors that may have influenced common patterns, but my hope was that I would also find extraordinary stories of renewal that I could showcase.
This work will then be used to develop an open-source, shared value platform, where rural communities can upload projects and solutions they have developed to innovate for common challenges, sharing outcomes that other towns and regions can be inspired by and hopefully benefit from.
The Global Rural Community will be a place where visitors are able to connect directly with the change makers of other communities if there is something that they would like to know more about, or if they have something to offer.