Conditions for sustainable rural development – how to support transformation processes in practice? The role of local knowledge and lifelong learning in sustainable development processes of regions

Abstract

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and how they translate to the local level are the starting point for thinking about regional sustainability strategies. The article focuses on Goal 4 - education, which can significantly support the implementation of other goals if it targets important actors of sustainable development. This (transformative) role should also play education at the local level, but this is not fully reflected in the strategic documents of regional development, and the area of lifelong learning is not systematically addressed at all. The aim of the research was to map the current situation in the regions of the Czech Republic with regards to the (prospective) role of education at the local level, and to analyse the needs of individual actors of rural development and their potential input in the context of education for sustainable development. The questions (that the research team asked in the framework of the training for representatives of Local Action Groups (LAGs)) were formulated and subsequently distributed in the form of a questionnaire survey among LAG managers. The data was evaluated using quantitative and mainly qualitative methods, with emphasis on unique experiences and insights. The results show that local actors (represented by LAGs) are aware of the need for training and the shortcomings in this area, and also understand the implications of this deficiency for sustainable development in the environmental, economic and social spheres. The potential of individual actors (their role in sustainability processes) remains untapped, which affects the capacity to innovate. Although LAGs are an actor that sees its role primarily as strengthening social capital and other development driving forces, including education, there are exogenous obstacles to fulfilling this role. Possible solutions include strengthening LAG leadership on sustainability issues, including through education; creating a lifelong learning system that taps into local knowledge; and involving experts not only in technology but also, for example, in social issues. Defining the roles of the different actors in development processes at regional level (and thus the specificities of bottom-up processes) would also help to clarify what top-down incentives are necessary to promote the public interest, as expressed, for example, in the SDGs.