This is the modern story facing almost every country. For many reasons, people are leaving their ancestral towns, settlements and villages and moving to more urban areas. Culture can be lost. This was exactly the problem faced by a Spanish settlement with only 16 remaining inhabitants. Until They Think of a Solution – Nude Calendar.
For decades, Pea Zafra de Abajo has dealt with a constant outflow as residents seek jobs and opportunities outside their settlements in southern Spain. However, it has found its own strategy to fight back. Essentially, she stripped everything down to save the town.
“When I suggested the Naked Calendar, people said, ‘Are you crazy?'” Luca Nicolas, president of the settlement’s residents’ association, told The Guardian. This is our 16-person village. ”
Divisive thinking gradually gained momentum. By September, enough residents were willing to participate and the three-day photo shoot began. The result is his 2023 calendar that skillfully depicts the inhabitants along with the landscapes and traditions that have long defined the settlements of Murcia.
what does the photo look like?
In October, Nicholas posed at the 200-year-old house that once belonged to his grandfather and is now the village’s only winery, and in November he posed with a variety of strategically placed pumpkins. It features Juanho, a local farmer who takes
The undisputed star of the calendar is Pedro Sanchez. The oldest resident of the settlement, his 100-year-old spends his December in style, shirtless, smiling and holding up a bota (wine skin). “He was the first to say yes,” Nicolas told The Guardian.
Did your calendar work?
Orders for the €9 calendar have been pouring in from all over Spain and as far afield as Mexico since its debut in October. According to Nicolás, he sold nearly 400 settlements.
Spain’s rural depopulation problem
As word of the calendar spreads, messages are pouring in from across Spain, where rural depopulation threatens more than half the country’s surface area. The Guardian, citing the many who struggled to save the settlement, said, “We have discovered that we are not alone in this situation.”
According to Nicolás, the calendar’s success has made it all the more resonating for the few remaining residents of Pea Zafra de Abajo, who are located near the quarries that surround the settlement. .
What is rural flight?
Rural flight (or rural exodus) is the movement of people from rural to urban areas.
This is due to the industrialization of primary industries such as agriculture, mining, fishing and forestry (where fewer people are needed to bring the same amount of output to market) and related secondary industries in industrialized economies such as the United Kingdom. It can occur after industry (refining and processing). 18th or 20th century East Asia. Migration from rural areas can also occur as a result of ecological or human-made disasters, such as famine or resource depletion. This is an example of a push factor.
The same phenomenon can occur for the simple reason that urban areas offer higher wages and educational opportunities. These are examples of pull factors.
why is that a problem?
As rural migrants move to cities, they face many challenges that can compromise their quality of life. Many migrants lack the education and skills needed to get decent jobs in cities, and are forced into precarious, low-paying jobs. The constant influx of new migrants to rural areas exacerbates the underemployment and unemployment common among rural migrants.
Employers offer lower wages and poor working conditions to rural migrants who have to compete for limited jobs and are often ignorant of their workers’ rights. Rural migrants often face dire living conditions. The population of many cities is exploding. Services and infrastructure in these cities cannot keep up with population growth. A large rural population influx can lead to severe housing shortages, inadequate water and energy supplies, and slum-like conditions throughout cities.
In addition, rural migrants often struggle to adjust to city life. In some cases, there are cultural differences between rural and urban areas. When they disperse in urban areas, it becomes difficult to maintain cultural traditions. Urban dwellers may despise these newcomers who are often ignorant of urban social norms. When migrants move to urban areas, they face many social challenges because they are marginalized and cut off from their home culture.
Is it also a problem for India?
More and more Indians are migrating to cities in search of better incomes, education and opportunities, according to a report by the Asia-Pacific Policy Association entitled “India’s Rural and Urban Conundrums.” According to a report released in 2017, India had the second-largest urban population in the world at the time, after China.
According to the United Nations, India’s urban population is projected to grow by 404 million by 2050. Immigrants are hooked on industries that require unskilled or semi-skilled labor, such as construction and services. But many of these jobs are and will continue to disappear as a result of mechanization, the proliferation of robotics, and advances in artificial intelligence.
A typical government response to this growing urban challenge has been to channel funds into city-centric development plans aimed at redesigning and upgrading existing facilities. While the focus is on redeveloping large cities, there are few successful efforts aimed at making villages self-sufficient, the report explains.
Faced with increasing urban challenges exacerbated by environmental disasters, the authors conclude that India has the potential to reduce rural-to-urban migration while ensuring sustainable livelihoods for its rural population. It argues that new development paths with positive impact are needed.
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