Fostering sustainability in Brazilian agrarian reform: insights from assentamentos and ecovillagesMain Menu0 | Executive Summary1 | Introduction2 | Research design and methods2.1 | Selecting our cases2.2 | Collecting the data2.3 | Analyzing the data2.4 | A Visual Story of Our Journey3 | Brazilian agrarian reform: historical developments3.1 | The Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST)3.2 | Assentamentos: Rural Settlements of Brazilian Agrarian Reform3.3 | Public policies for agrarian reform in Brazil3.4 | Phases of an assentamento’s history: how does an agrarian reform settlement come to be?3.4.1 | Phases of Assentamento: Grassroot Engagement3.4.2 | Phases of Assentamento: Occupation and Encampment3.4.3 | Phases of Assentamento: Establishment3.4.4 | Phases of Assentamento: Maintenance3.5 | Ecovillages: a source of insights for sustainability in small rural communities3.6 | Synthesis: assentamentos and ecovillages side-by-side4 | Analyzing sustainability challenges in assentamentos4.1 | Moving towards sustainable production4.2 | Building infrastructure for sustainability4.3 | Creating attractive conditions for the youth5 | Two domains for the design of solutions to sustainability challenges in assentamentos5.1 | Access, use and dissemination of sustainability know-how5.2 | Enabling cooperative collective dynamics through conflict resolution6 | Insights to address sustainability in assentamentos6.1 | The power of example can be an effective means for the transition to more sustainable practices6.2 | Building a common vision among assentados can support the maintenance of cooperative collective dynamics6.3 | More room for experimentation can strengthen sustainability know-how6.4 | Collective initiatives can prevent isolation in rural communities by acting as touchpoints with the external world and bringing exchange opportunities for assentados7 | Closing RemarksLIST OF TEXTUAL REFERENCES (PAPERS. BOOKS, LEGISLATION)INTERVIEWS | Complete videosCOMMUNITIES | Materials availableAUTHORS | Basic InfoOndab86d8b9ff51cdbb9a292b5a3d9ea13e8fba7795a
INTERVIEW 17 | Quote 23:80
12016-03-18T05:08:20-07:00Ondab86d8b9ff51cdbb9a292b5a3d9ea13e8fba7795a88641então essas questões aí é que estarmos... então para isso não precisa ter pressa; não precisa atropelar, que é o processo; a agroecologia é uma ciência dos processos... eu saio daqui com um pedaço de área aqui e ali já é diferente... então se eu plantei o mesmo processo aqui, eu não vou atingir os mesmos objetivos que eu estou aqui... então é preciso ter esse conhecimento, esse manejo, essa capacidade de ser bambu e enverga mas não quebrar... então é isso que nós estamos tentando fazer aqui, com muita dificuldade, muita crítica, mas ... chega um cientista aqui, "ai quero apresentar isso aqui", "mas isso daqui não dá certo", "meu irmão, nós não fizemos ainda para dar certo não, nós estamos testando, nós estamos buscando e queremos a sua ajuda para isso ficar melhor".plain2016-03-18T05:08:20-07:00Ondab86d8b9ff51cdbb9a292b5a3d9ea13e8fba7795a
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.