Ecovillage as an Alternative Way of Rural Life: Evidence From Hungary and Slovakia

Abstract

This paper offers a case study of three selected ecovillages (two in Hungary and one in Slovakia). The main objective is to characterize, analyse and eventually compare types, trends and problems in the development of ecovillages and to discuss the possible impacts and effects of ecovillage movement on sustainable rural development. The authors used interviews, observation and inquiry for data collection and methods of document analysis, content analysis of different sources, and analysis of foot marks. They attempt to bring the worldview closer by introducing the basic ecovillage concept and framework, and by describing the ecovillage types, recent trends, problems and challenges. The analytical part begins with a short characteristic of the ecovillage movement in Hungary and Slovakia and follows with six thematic subchapters that investigate and compare the observed ecovillages according to the purposes and motivation for their founding, the communication models and public relations, local economic systems and self-sufficiency phenomenon, the employment structure and the existing infrastructure. Finally, the last part is devoted to assess the main research findings.Abstrakt: Tento článok ponúka prípadovú štúdiu troch vybraných ekodedín (dvoch v Maďarsku a jednej na Slovensku). Hlavným cieľom je charakterizovať, analyzovať a prípadne porovnať typy, trendy a problémy vývoja a rozvoja ekodedín, ako aj diskutovať možné vplyvy a dopady hnutia ekodedín na udržateľný rozvoj vidieka. Autorky použili pre zber údajov techniku rozhovorov, pozorovanie a anketu a metódy analýzy dokumentov, obsahovú analýzu rôznych zdrojov a analýzu fyzických stôp. Pokúšajú sa priblížiť svetové názory prostredníctvom predstavenia základného konceptu ekodedín, ako aj popisom typov ekodedín, súčasných trendov, problémov a výziev. Analytická časť začína krátkou charakteristikou hnutia ekodedín v Maďarsku a na Slovensku a pokračuje šiestimi tematickými časťami, ktoré hodnotia a porovnávajú sledované ekodediny podľa charakteru vzniku a motivácie vedúcej k ich založeniu, podľa komunikačných modelov a vzťahov s verejnosťou, lokálnych ekonomických systémov, fenoménu sebestačnosti, štruktúre zamestnaní a existujúcej infraštruktúre. Záverečná časť je venovaná zhodnoteniu hlavných výskumných zistení.

Demographic Change and Local Community Sustainability: Heritagization of Land Abandonment Symbols

“…Populations which have formed distinctive cultural configurations have been declining and dying out. In relation to other problems, population decline creates a vicious cycle known as circular and cumulative causation (Moravcíková & Fürjészová, 2018), which is very difficult to break (Massey, 1990). The main structure of cultural configurations is easily replicated without enriching selections and innovations of individual elements.…”

Eco-Discourses in a Virtual Rural Community

“…While current agricultural practices and innovations are adopted on a large scale by the mainstream society [46,47], intentional ecovillage communities are interested in learning unusual "niche practices" [48] (p. 3) as part of their value system and identity. Grassroots innovations "support the processes of local niche creation, i.e., the incubation of sociotechnical innovation in the face of mainstream values" [29] (p. 235), Since harmony with nature represents a core element of the ecologist value system, sustainability is not (necessarily) correlated with the modernist idea of development in the localist ecovillage endeavorsconceivable also as social innovation [30] enterprises-focusing on the preservation of the natural environment as well as traditional heritage.…”

“…The main aim of this investigation is to explore the relationship between tradition and innovation-as it unfolds through eco-discourses within the group. Innovation is a central issue in the discussions of the ecologist movements oriented towards sustainability, as research shows [26][27][28][29][30]. In contrast (without an unequivocal consensus on the sense of the term), the impact of traditions on environmentalist ideas is seldom investigated in the reviewed literature [22,[31][32][33].…”

Eco-Village Initiatives in Turkey and a New Alternative Life

“…These studies include policy, economy, land use, agriculture, ecological settlements, transportation, energy, climate, etc. (Chai et al, 2020;Smith et al, 2014;Zhang et al, 2020;Zhao et al, 2018;Moravčíková & Fürjészová, 2018).…”

“…In their study on ecovillages in Hungary, Moravčíková and Fürjészová (2018) mention that ecovillages offer an alternative life. In the study, the main objective is to characterize, analyze and eventually compare types, trends and problems in the development of ecovillages and to discuss the possible impacts and effects of eco-village movement on sustainable rural development.…”