The overarching objective of RUSTIK is to enable rural communities’ actors and policymakers to design better strategies, initiatives and policies fostering sustainability transitions of rural areas, through an advanced understanding of different rural functionalities, characteristics, and future scenarios of rural areas, their potential, and challenges.
Central specific objectives are to provide
(1) a robust methodological framework for functional rural areas,
(2) databases integrating data of different types and sources,
(3), improved strategies and governance approaches for rural decision-makers and stakeholders, and (4) improved approaches for rural impact assessment and decentralised rural proofing.