Ecovillages: a viable idea constrained by poor rural economies

Not so successful for all.

Max, Morag, Evan and the Michaels are the success stories of creating livelihoods in the sometimes isolated rural settings of ecovillages, but not all who have moved into Australia's slowly growing number of settlements have been so successful.

Part of the reason is that ecovillages have so far failed to develop internal economies. That process is just getting underway at Crystal Waters, however with declining employment and economic prospects in rural Australia limiting the potential for work outside the community or for small-business development, creating a livelihood is the biggest challenge faced by prospective inhabitants.

It has taken Crystal Waters almost 15 years to establish a small number of naescent enterprises serving the village community.

"The dairy, bakery and cheesery are the first businesses to establish in the village zone. The fetta is being made here at the biodynamic cheesery," Morag says. Earlier attempts to set up a small shop - Maleny is 30 minutes drive away - were unsuccessful because residents did their shopping when they went to town. But things are changing.

"Recently, a small shop has opened to provide a daily outlet for the community and regular visitors. Over time, the shop will include other local products, organic bulk goods, community crafts, cafe and village information," she explains. Bakers Les and James and their young apprentices are now baking enough bread for the 200 residents of the village and selling through a local organic cooperative and weekly farmer's market.

However, an ecovillage can support only so many bakers, cheese makers and builders and a viable regional economy remains vital to future ecovillage development.

Jalanbah.

It was the unusual number of 'for sale' signs which caught my attention as I walked through Jalanbah. There seemed to be too many so I asked a one-time actor from Sydney who, with his wife who makes a living as a translator, has lived on Jalanbah for more than five years.

"People come to Jalanbah with their preconceived ideas on what living in a community will be like. They leave when their ideas fail to match the reality. They also leave because they can't find a livelihood, an income," he explains.

Nigel Reid has bought land closer to Nimbin village where he one day hopes to set up Rivendell Ecovillage. With its smaller block, Rivendell will be more compact than Crystal Waters and Jalanbah. Acutely aware of the livelihoods issue, Nigel is looking to broadband access for future Rivendell residents so those with the skills can work from home but stay in touch with their clients and markets. Rivendell, he says, will learn from previous ecovillages and try to address some of their shortcomings.

Nigel knows that he must be patient and that attracting people to Rivendell will be a challenge. The area remains one of high unemployment and there is the problem of the reputation of Nimbin. People would have to have a strong desire to live in the area even if they can work from home rather than locate in some rural area closer to the city and their markets. It might take more than cheaper housing costs.

The livelihood issue.

It is the lack of economic opportunity and employment; of weak rural economies limiting the potential for small business development that is putting the brake on the ecovillage as a new model of rural resettlement. Rural jobs are in decline and so are markets for sole traders and small-business people. This means that the people attracted to ecovillage living are likely to be those with a guaranteed income or those who are fortunate enough to possess a skill still in demand in rural areas.

Economically depressed rural areas - where many of the ecovillages have been built - offer ecovillage developers and residents cheap land but at the same time limit their viability as a model for development. But what about siting an ecovillage in an area with a viable economy? While the problem might be the exclusion of less affluent residents because the higher cost of land would make the entrance price too high, the prospect of regular employment or of starting a small business is greater. Providing a regular income could be earned, this might offset the higher cost of buying in.

It seems, then, that the best place for new ecovillages would be on the edge of coastal towns with a healthy tourism economy and that are experiencing growth.

Now proven viable, the potential of the ecovillage model of higher-ensity rural living is being held back by the economic decline afflicting much of rural Australia. It seems that not even carefully designed rural villages can escape our changing economic times.