Transylvania

Restoring soil, revitalising communities, sustaining futures.

The bioregion, Țara Călatei — or, as the Hungarian ethnic minority calls it, Kalotaszeg — is a historically rich and culturally diverse region in the central-northwest of Transylvania, Romania. Known for its preserved traditional practices and biodiversity, the region represents one of the last rural European landscapes where agri-cultural heritage and ecological knowledge are still visibly embedded in everyday life.

The population consists of Romanian, Hungarian, and Roma communities, living across around 40 communes, often in traditional peasant houses, and practicing land-based livelihoods inherited across generations. Cultural and land-use diversity are reflected in the strip-farming systems, agro-terraces, and village commons, which still play a significant role in social and ecological resilience.

The interaction between topography, hydrography, climate, soil, and cultural practices has created a landscape of high territorial complexity, with alternating forest patches, pasturelands, and cultivated fields forming a distinctive bioregional pattern.

Soil and Planning Challenges

The hilly and fragmented terrain of Țara Călatei/Kalotaszeg has historically relied on a mosaic of land uses, including common grazing lands, communal forests, and collectively maintained terraces. However, this traditional system now faces multiple pressures:

Soil degradation from erosion, compaction, and nutrient depletion, exacerbated by overgrazing and abandonment;
Encroachment by industrial agriculture and land speculation, weakening traditional governance structures and contributing to the marginalization of local communities;
Declining use and protection of the commons, such as shared pastures and forests, leading to loss of local control and stewardship;
Abandonment of land and knowledge, due to ageing rural populations and youth outmigration.

Soil and Planning Opportunities

Despite the challenges, Țara Călatei retains valuable opportunities for regeneration. The presence of functioning commons, traditional ecological knowledge, and a strong sense of local identity can be revitalized through participatory planning and community-led land governance.

Ambition for the SPADES project

Through the SPADES project, the pilot together with the project partner ALPA aims to demonstrate, how agroecological planning, community stewardship, and soil regeneration can be integrated into a scalable, bioregional development model. Key actions will include:

Piloting land and soil strategies on farmlands in the bioregion, combining agroecological techniques with community-based governance of land and natural resources, including the revitalization of underutilized commons;
Monitoring and evaluating soil restoration practices such as cover cropping, organic composting, agroforestry, rotational grazing, and reforestation, particularly on common lands and degraded areas;
Documenting changes in soil health and land productivity, generating evidence to support broader policy integration;
Drafting planning and policy recommendations that reinforce the role of the commons in rural regeneration and promote land use rooted in local ecological and social systems;
Hosting capacity-building workshops and training sessions for local farmers, herders, youth, and public authorities to promote soil literacy, agroecological methods, and collaborative land management;
Strengthening land stewardship institutions, including community land trusts and land banks, to protect land from speculation and re-anchor it within local communities.

In all actions, the role of the commons - shared pastures, woodlands, and collectively managed lands - as critical infrastructures for food sovereignty, biodiversity, and climate adaptation will be emphasised.

Aerial view of Țara Călatei, Transyilvania.