THALLA: In Larissa, youth find their voice in Europe’s climate and food future

In a city that has become a symbol of youth empowerment, Larissa, designated as European Youth Capital 2025, a different kind of conversation took place this week. It was not about music or innovation, but about climate change, food security, and the future of those who will inherit both the fields and the consequences of today’s choices.

The THALLA Project (Thriving Agroecology Living Lab), developed by the Agricultural University of Athens (ORIMAS Lab) in collaboration with the Union of Working Consumers of Greece (ΕΕΚΕ), the Hellenic Agency for Local Development and Local Government (ΕΕΤΑΑ), and the Farmers’ Union, convened a roundtable titled “The Role of Youth in Empowering Local Communities Against Crises” at the Larissa Imperial Grecotel. The event placed young people at the forefront of a dialogue about how local communities can withstand and adapt to crises such as Storm Daniel, which devastated large parts of Thessaly in 2023.

The discussion sought to give voice to the youth of the region, encouraging them to articulate their vision for a sustainable and resilient agri-food system. Participants from Municipal Youth Councils, local organizations, and the broader community engaged in an open exchange of ideas about how collective action can address both environmental and social vulnerabilities. Central to the debate was how agroecological practices — from soil restoration to the protection of local crops like the industrial tomato, a staple of Thessaly’s economy — can help rebuild trust and stability in rural life.

THALLA’s presence in Thessaly is not coincidental. The region, once synonymous with agricultural abundance, has become a testing ground for Europe’s struggle with climate resilience. Through co-design methodologies that bring together scientists, policymakers, farmers, and citizens, the project explores ways to integrate traditional knowledge with modern sustainability science. Its living-lab approach emphasizes participatory innovation, where communities are not treated as subjects of study but as partners in change.

For the young participants, this event was more than a seminar — it was a forum to reclaim agency. As one local student noted during the discussion, “We are the first generation to live with climate anxiety and the last that can still act to change it.” That sentiment echoed through the room, underscoring how environmental degradation, economic uncertainty, and rural depopulation are reshaping the social fabric of European farming regions.

At its core, THALLA embodies a new paradigm in agricultural transformation. By combining scientific research with community-based governance, it seeks to demonstrate that sustainability cannot be legislated from above but must be cultivated from below — in the schools, cooperatives, and local councils where resilience is built daily.

As Europe confronts escalating climate threats, projects like THALLA are quietly redefining what it means to adapt. They show that the path to resilience is not paved with abstract targets, but with dialogue, education, and the empowerment of those who will shape the continent’s agricultural and environmental legacy.