Smart Rural Communities for the Agenda 2030: Action Research, Living Labs, and SDGs

This chapter contributes to the discussion on contemporary rural development programs, with a focus on their alignment with the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in the Global South. The study examines an action research project led by Ayuda En Acción, in collaboration with co-operatives under the Mondragon Co-operative Corporation (MCC) such as Mundukide Foundation, Alecop, and LKS. The research was conducted in postconflict rural areas in Colombia’s Bolivar region and remote rural settlements in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province. The intervention aimed to engage local communities by incorporating information and communication technologies (ICTs) for the well-being of rural residents. This chapter presents the action research fieldwork, critical analysis of the smart cities’ hegemonic discourse, and final recommendations while introducing the concept of Smart Rural Communities (SRC). The research question asks how to establish the SRC framework as an international cooperation model that meets the SDGs. The chapter includes an (i) introduction, (ii) literature review, (iii) presentation of the fieldwork in Colombia and Mozambique, (iv) findings through a SWOT analysis, and (v) final policy recommendations for the SRC framework. The SRC framework provides valuable insights for international cooperation models to achieve the SDGs in rural areas, particularly in the Global South.