20 November 2025

The ES VICIS Foundation and María Teresa, a village in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina, with 4,000 inhabitants, carried out a comprehensive diagnostic of the town that included a survey of 40% of households to understand their social, economic, and community reality. The study reveals high levels of institutional trust, pride of belonging, and willingness to stay rooted. It also identifies challenges in making possible the desire of young people to live in their hometown. November 2025 – The Santa Fe village of María Teresa, with just over 4,000 inhabitants, took an exemplary step: together with the ES VICIS Foundation, it promoted a local survey to gain an in-depth understanding of its social, economic, and housing reality. The work, carried out between April and October within the framework of a collaboration agreement between the local government of María Teresa and ES VICIS, reached 40% of households and offers an accurate snapshot of life in the town, as well as a concrete tool for planning evidence-based public policies. The survey was developed based on a methodological framework previously prepared by the ES VICIS Foundation, with the support of an interdisciplinary team of project evaluation and local development professionals from FLACSO Argentina, ensuring the technical quality and comparability of the data obtained. “Having high-quality local data is a sign of institutional maturity. María Teresa demonstrates that a small town can lead knowledge and planning processes that inspire other towns in the country,” said Mercedes Manfroni, coordinator of the ES VICIS Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to revitalizing rural towns. “This diagnostic shows us a community with trust, identity, and a desire to grow. It provides us with the tools to design fairer and more sustainable policies, from and for the town,” highlighted Gonzalo Goyechea, president of the local government of María Teresa. A snapshot of a community with identity and trust The study shows a cohesive community with a strong identity: 68.6% of residents express high pride of belonging and 29.4% medium pride. Only 2% of households reported feeling little pride in belonging to the town. Meanwhile, 63.5% trust the local government, which is the institution generating the most confidence in the community. This institutional capital, together with a strong sense of rootedness, constitutes a strategic advantage for promoting local development. In terms of housing, 58% of households own both their home and land, a value close to the national average, but with a latent demand for accessible housing solutions: more than one-third of households are seeking a housing alternative for all or some of the co-inhabitants. The local economy combines self-employment, family businesses (19.8%), and public employment (15.9%), forming a diversified structure with growth potential. The unemployment rate (9.9%), slightly above the national average (7.9%), highlights the challenge of continuing to expand employment and productive opportunities. Regarding health, 73.4% rated the local service positively: 9.9% consider it “excellent”; 25.8% “very good”; and 37.7% “good.” However, there is high demand for certain medical specialties, such as pediatrics. Indicators of digital inclusion and safety show encouraging levels: 91.9% of households have internet access, and 94% perceive the town as safe. The study also addresses the perceptions of young people, who on one hand, largely expressed high appreciation for their life in the town, but on the other hand, eight out of ten have heard that “to progress, you have to leave the town.” This is a deeply rooted narrative in the community, which the report recommends addressing through workshops, as well as employment and housing policies, to prevent the outflow of young people. Overall, the results show that María Teresa has a solid social base, reliable institutions, and a strong sense of belonging, but also structural challenges regarding housing, employment, and opportunities for young people. Capitalizing on its strengths —trust, safety, digitalization, and social cohesion— will be key to deepening its model of sustainable local development with rootedness.