Project Description:
Cultiva Lab’s PermaFuturos is a citizen social science project with the vision to make regenerative future design accessible to local communities. It introduces the holistic permaculture framework to the citizen science field as a novel design tool for complex ecosocial systems, recognising the deep connection between land use and social systems. The intersectional permaculture domains and the regenerative permaculture principles will be integrated into a multi-layered methodology to facilitate the development of regenerative-by-design strategies. In this radical citizen science approach, citizens shape the agenda, co-design the method, and lead the implementation. We will work with diverse citizen groups and local policymakers in two rural Spanish communities highly affected by climate change. Participants will co-research the intersectionality of contexts impacting their situation and come together as a community to co-create their systemic regeneration roadmaps. Learnings will support the development of a modular open-source Community Regenerative Transformation Blueprint.
Project Type: Kickstarter
Theme: Disaster Resilience
Mentor: Claire Narraway
PermaFuturos: A Regenerative Citizen Science Approach to Rural Climate Resilience
PermaFuturos is a radical citizen social science project by Spain-based Cultiva Lab, engaging rural communities in regenerative systems research and design inspired by the holistic permaculture model. It introduces regenerative thinking and action to places often unfamiliar with the concept, challenges stereotypes of rurality, and offers deep insights into the fabric and dynamics of local communities.
From July to November, we ran two Living Labs: one in the fishing village of Colindres on the Cantabrian Coast, and another in the mountain village of Gestalgar in the Serranía de Valencia. Each community addressed its most pressing climate-resilience challenge. Gestalgar lost its natural ecosystem—its climate refuge and base of food sovereignty—during the DANA floods of 2024, while Colindres struggles with unregulated pollution and gaps in waste management affecting its river, harbour, and coastal areas.
PermaFuturos pioneers the application of permaculture as a framework for participatory research and systems design. We supported communities in unpacking the interconnections and systemic root causes of their climate challenges through the lenses of the seven permaculture domains. In the next stage, we worked with them to co-design regenerative tactics guided by the PermaFuturos principles inspired by permaculture ethics.
Through this participatory systems research and design process, communities developed their own regenerative futures strategies, beginning at the root causes of the climate resilience challenges they face—revealing local complexities not immediately visible. At the same time, we gathered thick data on the contextual dimensions of climate resilience across different rural settings.
With PermaFuturos, Cultiva Lab offers a methodology deeply rooted in hyperlocal realities, while overcoming disciplinary silos and techno-solutionism. It embraces systemic complexity and guides communities to design as integral parts of the ecosystems they inhabit.
Building Living Systems from Within
Resilient communities flourish when they cultivate regenerative cultures from within. We developed a citizen social science approach in which communities set the agenda. Local Knowledge Coalitions—made up of key stakeholders—identified their main climate resilience challenges and participated throughout the entire project cycle, from defining the challenge to co-evaluation. Their involvement played a central role in trust-building and community engagement.
A Stepping Stone for a PermaFuturos Movement
Thanks to the IMPETUS Accelerator Program, Cultiva Lab has developed, tested, rolled out, and evaluated the methodology through the two Living Labs. The programme’s support mechanisms—especially its mentoring scheme—have been invaluable to me as an individual grantee.
Building on insights from the Living Labs, we are producing a white paper and a short documentary to inspire and engage diverse stakeholders and communities. We are finalising a methodology blueprint to support more communities in addressing their climate resilience challenges through regenerative futures research and design.
Seeding Transformation
PermaFuturos is only at the beginning of its journey. We invite collaborations with research and educational institutions, the citizen science community, and local networks to share our story. We are seeking partners to build a growing network of regenerative futures communities. The methodology will be offered in three formats:
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Inspirational testing
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Experiential research and design
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Extensive regenerative strategy research and design support
