6.3 | More room for experimentation can strengthen sustainability know-how
Ecovillages often regard themselves as social laboratories; in the words of an interviewee, “laboratories for future situations that we will face as humans" [45:1]. Ecovillagers strive to test different ideas and learn from their perceived successes and failures [51:15].
This notion of constantly trying out alternatives, capturing feedback and adjusting behavior and practices can contribute to foster sustainability in assentamentos. Continuous assessment and frequent feedback are essential to avoid situations of total collapse. Terra Vista seems to have incorporated this notion with a remarkable level of success. As stated by one interviewee, “[many things we do] we didn't do to work right away, we are testing and we are looking and willing to receive others’ help to make it even better [...]
you need to have this capacity to be a bamboo: of bending without breaking apart" [23:80].
For instance, through “participative research” in collective areas, they try out different techniques for agrarian production with results that can be later disseminated to other assentados and even other rural communities. This approach could also be expanded to other fields, including building infrastructure for sustainability and attracting the youth. By adopting trial-and-error approaches, technologies can be customized to each assentamento’s reality.
Experience from ecovillages also suggests that, in the context of small communities that intend to endure in time, people should be trained to accept failures or mistakes and transform them into learning opportunities, instead of blaming others for ‘negative’ results [51:39]. However, this capability does not arise naturally. Ecovillagers have systematically resorted to developing and experimenting with a variety of tools for communication, in order to collectively build that capability through repeated events. These tools could prove to be of great value for assentados in the creation and maintenance of collective initiatives.
>>> 6.4 | Collective initiatives can prevent isolation in rural communities by acting as touchpoints with the external world and bringing exchange opportunities for assentados