RURALITIC cooperation goes global

A big step in the development of the RURALITIC project’s international dimension was taken on 25 August 2025, with a meeting at the French Embassy in Argentina. Attended by the Ambassador of France to Argentina, Romain Nadal, the event focused on RURALITIC’s collaboration with the EMMA International Associated Laboratory (LIA). This will play a key role in the project’s research into social issues in Argentina and France.

Established in October 2024 by RURALITIC partner, the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE), EMMA LIA brings together Paris Dauphine University in France and the National University of San Martín in Argentina. They perform research into lifestyles, markets and the environment in rural areas in the two countries.

Along with Ambassador Nadal, French Attaché for Scientific, Technological and Decentralised Cooperation, Laurence Vignollet; her assistant, Chloé Bernard; and Director of the French Institute in Argentina, Frédéric Depetris were present at the meeting. Representing EMMA LIA and INRAE were EMMA LIA coordinators, Eleonora Elguezabal from France and Ramiro Segura from Argentina, as well as RURALITIC coordinator, Gilles Laferté of INRAE.

Wide-ranging discussion

Discussions touched on migration between cities and the countryside in Argentina and ongoing territorial transformation in Argentina and France. As regards agricultural and environmental questions, analysis of differing viewpoints and negotiations on the EU-Mercosur Agreement was considered at length. More generally, participants looked at current issues in Argentina related to collective violence, online harassment and changing public perceptions of politics.

The need to build links between scientific studies and public institutions was stressed. This could be done through debates like those held during the Night of Ideas, which the Embassy ran in May 2025, and the year-round Café des Sciences public events. Attendees also saw the advantages of strengthening connections between social science research and the media and alternative means of popularising the social sciences, such as film screenings and the visual arts.

Vital support

It is expected that the meeting will provide considerable impetus for RURALITIC’s research and demonstration activities in Argentina, with Ambassador Nadal giving the project a clear vote of confidence.

‘At the Embassy, we are very pleased to support the work of RURALITIC and EMMA LIA – and by extension, research in the social sciences and humanities – in any way we can. Very few initiatives of this kind exist. Indeed, EMMA LIA is the only one in the social science field, which makes it an important priority for us’, he explained.

For Eleonora Elguezabal, support from the Embassy will be vital to the project’s success in Argentina.

‘During the meeting, we talked about logistical barriers we encounter in launching international scientific cooperation projects. We are therefore very grateful for the Embassy’s willingness to help move our work forward by responding to any queries from academic and research institutions’, she said.

For updates on the next steps in RURALITIC’s journey in Argentina, across Europe and elsewhere, follow us on Bluesky and LinkedIn, and look out for our scientific publications on Zenodo.