 RURAL WINGS – Geraki Pilot Site, Greece
Location
The village of Geraki lies on the mountainous region of eastern Crete, at the southeast
borders of Heraklion prefecture and borders with the Lasithi Plateau. The village
stands on the highest inhabited regions of the mountains next to the Lasithi plateau,
at an altitude of 520m above the sea. It is 8 kilometers far from Kastelli and 58
km from the city of Heraklion. In spite of the limited number of Geraki’s inhabitants
– 485 people – the village is well-known to the people living in Crete, largely
because
of its famous animal products, namely meat, milk and cheese. It has not
faced a considerable loss of population; the average percentage of decrease falls
within the normal rate observed in the rural mainland of Crete. Compared to the
1991 census data it has not faced loss of population. The village is connected with
the famous old path to Lasithi - the main road at the age of 1800- and is surrounded
by many ancient monuments and remnants of the old ages. It is vicinal to the old
ancient cities of Smari and Lyttos. At the ages of 1800, Geraki was a famous municipality
under the authority of the “Municipality of Panagia” including an area of more than
1000 acres. Its economic activity nowadays is mainly focused on agriculture and
primary sector a ctivities,
namely olive oil and dairy production. The distance to the seaside is more than
60km to the north shores and 20km to the south shores of Crete. The dairy producers
are in average 120 people and the rest of the inhabitants are farmers, mainly involved in olive oil production. The area of Geraki
features a rich natural and cultural heritage, which is well
known in Crete, due to a traditional folk publication made
by Dr. Saitakis 1998 (eds. Bibioekdotiki). However, the area has not been publicized
outside the confines of the island and of course has not been exploited by the tourist industry, although it is ideal for the promotion of alternative tourism. A number
of historic Byzantine and pro Byzantine monasteries are located at the Geraki territory,
which are well worth visiting. Nowadays, that rural isolation is a growing threat,
the comparative advantages of the territory are strong initiatives to facilitate
local development.
Education and Learning
There is a multi-grade school at the village currently attended by 18 students and one primary teacher, while many learning courses are taking place in Kastelli towards
adult training and life-long education. Recently introduced courses are focusing
to educate dairy farmers from Geraki towards the extension to tertiary sector development.
Community partnerships are developing in the area, focusing on the promotion of
local traditional products, while farmers are following learning and extension projects
developed by the Kastelli Development Agency towards production certification, according
to the European quality standards.
 Broadband
availability
While at the area of Kastelli a wide wireless broadband network is currently being
developed, Geraki has been excluded, due to its remote and isolated location within
the mountainous region. The only connection to the Internet available is PSTN dial
up or ISDN through the terrestrial telephone network.
WiFi equipment
The pilot learning hub at the Geraki Rural Wings site has been installed at the village’s Cultural Association premises, a stand alone, two floors building of around 70 m². There are 3 desktop PCs available, along with 3 web cameras and sound speakers and one printer, all connected together through a Local Area Network (LAN).
There is also a WiFi router available, located at the second floor of the building, covering the surrounding area, which consists of the main square of the village, the central coffee shop, a mini market and a number of houses located near the Cultural Association’s building. A relatively lower WiFi coverage is also provided at the nearby fields, including olive trees and breeding grounds.
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| Photos of the Satellite and WiFi equipment at the Geraki Rural Wings site |
Options and Opportunities
Based on the prospects provided by broadband connections, the opportunities that
emerge towards the development of an educational and developing structure are limitless.
The range of applications covers e-learning, both for students and workers, as well
as communication with public agricultural agencies and moreover the development
of a constant learning process for the farmers, in order to promote the assets of
the local traditional products. Therefore the value created by the supply chain
is a constant, life-long learning process towards problem solving, either for public
bodies or for the promotion of local products, at domestic or international markets,
including small size- high value principals.
RURAL WINGS – Kasteli Pilot Site, Greece
Location
 Kastamonitsa, is a village situated in the Kastelli territory, on the border of
the Lasitthi PLateu, at the north east borders of the Heraklion prefecture in Crete’s
mainland. More precisely, it is situated at the bottom of the mountainous region
of the Lasithi Plateu at an altitude of 529m and is 6km away from the center of
the Kastelli municipality, and 43 km away from Heraklion city. The name
of the village
derives from the phrase “castra Comeni”, which was commonly used since the Venetian
era (1497). At a small distance there
are the old remnants of the ancient water
supply system
Photo 3: Views of the “CEIP Sant Serni” school
Education and Learning
Many initiatives have taken place, to encourage the education of locals on traditional
products and farm practices, the endorsement of local traditional assets, and the
decentralization with the return of people to their rural homeland. A documentary
has been produced to depict the local traditional practices and also to be used
as a tool for further learning and promotion of local products and initiatives.
Broadband availability
Although a wide wireless broadband network is currently being developed in the area
of Kastelli , Kastamonitsa, just like Geraki, is excluded due to the fact that it
is remote and isolated within the mountainous region. The only connection to the
Internet available is PSTN dial up or ISDN through the terrestrial telephone network.
Options and Opportunities
- Education
Promotion of local tradition products and folk tradition
Promotion of civil related events and initiatives
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