'Village in the knowledge- creativity- and emotion-based economy' - Dr Wacław Idziak

Laugh therapy is being born in the new economy. It is a sign of the times, the transition from the economy with prevailing industry and agriculture to something that can be described as the knowledge- emotion- and creativity-based economy. To come into existence in this economy requires quitting patterns and habits, but also the courage of entering new paths, coping with criticism, laugh, uncertainty, lack of examples. We used to ask whether someone had done something like that before and it was the reason for us to copy it. Nowadays, in the economy, which more and more resembles Hollywood or the sports arena only those who have done something for the first time or beat a record matter most. There is less room for those who copy.

 

Creative class

The new economy develops better where there are more people, who belong to the creative class. Richard Florida rates into this group those, who perform jobs related to science, artistic creativity, education and entertainment. He claims that the higher level of creative class in a specific city or area the more successful the economy is there, with regard to the new trades related to knowledge, creativity and emotion as well as the industrial ones, as the quality of cultural environment, wealth of cultural, entertainment and leisure places, and at last the relevant level of education and motivations of potential employees attract investors.

 

Social capital

 

Among other factors that affect the level of economic development one can also mention the quality of social capital. This capital is higher where people are better organised and have more confidence – both towards each other and towards the national and local authorities. This capital is particularly important in times of transformations when people are forced to frequently change their jobs, beliefs and habits related to work and family life. It is easier to take a risk, start anew, tackle the unknown in the environment, which accepts distinctness in behaviours, is creative and well-organised, ensures help and support in case of defeat. It is easier to find the courage in yourself among those who are equally “crazy” and courageous and those who can be trusted not to ridicule or hinder.

 

Attracting the creative

The representatives of the creative class do not feel well everywhere. As they are more sought after and attracted, they can select. What do they select? Large attractive cities (the example is New York, but also Wroclaw in Poland), regions famous for cultural and sports events, university towns. Some of them look for places outside the city. Preferably with attractive landscape, however not too far from the city.

 

Thus, are small towns and villages, situated in less attractive areas and having poorer technical infrastructure, condemned to vegetation far from the new economy and experience the migration of the current and prospective representatives of the creative class? Many things suggest so. The barrier to enter the new economy is also the policy of many communities that seek developmental opportunities in attracting investors connected with industry and broadly defined tourism. This is accompanied by the assumption that local problems can be solved by interference from the outside.

 

What to live by in the country?

 

When less and less families in the country can live by agriculture there remain not many options. In response to the question what one lives by in the country nowadays, the inhabitants of the villages in Locality of Nowogard in the Zachodniopomorskie Province mentioned quickly: work in town, work abroad, pensions, benefits, theft, poaching. In response to the question about agriculture, it was replied – there are less and less farmers, small farms collapse, only the bigger ones have any chances. In response to the question about ideas for business to be run in the country now and in the future, the replies were: agro-tourism, small enterprise, manufacture of bio-fuels, ecological agriculture. And right then it was added that “only some can afford agro-tourism and these are most often people, who are faring so-so or moved from the town to the country”. The similar catalogue of possibilities of country development keeps recurring in many publications on this subject and in development strategies of localities.

 

New country develops in head

In the congress “New Country” that was held in September 2000 in Constance, the delegates from eleven European countries, having discussed on the 21^st-century country, accepted a declaration entitled “New Country Develops in Head”, thus implying that first of all the country needs new ideas, new profile, new idea for its position in the global economy and in the age of knowledge-based economy that follows the age of agriculture and industry. The conference participants agreed that the policy of rural area development in the dynamically changing reality should be for them to try to become the “learning” areas, as the “new country develops in head” from the original thought, ideas the creation of which requires searching, investigating, learning, widening imagination.

 

Nowadays, the country needs something that in business is referred to as rethinking the resources, possibilities, directions of development. This regards the whole country and its individual inhabitants. How to make use of the common room, school, park, former gravel pit to develop the village? What to do in the farm with empty cowshed and barn where no animal breeding is run any more? How to use the backyard, meadow, orchard in another way? How to use knowledge and experience of farmers anew?

Fortunately, the above-mentioned questions have already been answered. There are many farmers who without limiting themselves to the basic jobs related to farming and breeding try to find their place in the knowledge, emotion and creativity economy. The commonest solution is agro-tourism while rarer solutions include running an educational farm. Such farms have been founded for several years in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and also in Poland. Six of them, which at the same time are ecological farms, issued the joint folder entitled “Ecological Farms as a Place of Education”. The learning in these farms is supported by the set of seven textbooks under the common name “What Do Skylarks Sing About?”.

 

An interesting example of taking up educational activity by country inhabitants is the cooperation between the primary schools in villages on the Biebrza River and the local farmers. Its effect is the joint offer “Green Schools on the Biebrza River Route”.

 

Farms also revive thanks to the passions and interests of their owners such as, for example, the folk artist Marian Murek from Górsko, who transformed his large henhouse into the gallery, where sculptures of birds living within the area of the Przemęcki Landscape Park are exhibited. The gallery walls are covered by the views of forests and lakes surrounding Górsko and while looking at showpieces the visitors can listen to the recordings of bird voices and the flow of the stream.

 

The new owners of many former state-owned farms (PGRs) have ceased animal breeding. Former cowsheds, stables and barns stay empty now. Unfortunately, many of them have already been pulled down because there was no idea what to do with them. In this way the architecture of former manors, often of historical value, have disappeared from the rural landscape. The buildings of the farm in Podgórki in the Zachodniopomorskie Province were to suffer a similar fate. Fortunately, it was thought that they would become a part of the fairy- and bicycle-land. Thanks to funds from the UNDP Global Environment Facility's Small Grants Programme it was managed to transform a part of the former barn into the place where artistic classes as well as training and meetings on bicycles are held.

 

Helmut Eiselsberger, the agricultural product marketing specialist who works in the Upper-Austrian Chamber of Agriculture helps farmers sell potatoes, cereals, vegetables, fruits and honey, invites organised groups of customers to the country to play at theatre with them. In this way, by offering first entertainment and adventure, the atmosphere is created in which the products offered by farmers are selling much better and at higher prices.

 

Theme villages

 

It is difficult to start a new undertaking alone. The obstacle may be lack of funds, fear of being ridiculed, fear of defeat, lack of ideas. It is also difficult to attract the customer by oneself. Hence there are few people, who decide on revolutionary changes. One of the ways to cope with these problems is to establish a theme village. It is a village that has a common idea for development. Around this idea the individual ways of earning money appear.

 

On the basis of research on the first Austrian theme villages it was found that a village that had any specialisation was a bigger success in many areas than normal villages. Its inhabitants are more agreeable, more eager to cooperate with one another and more optimistic. Having a common aim mobilises and keeps up the energy of groups and units. Finding a developmental theme allows focusing on the most essential issues. A good developmental theme for the village is the same as a unique selling offer for the company.

 

The theme village differs from the current village specialisation methods in that its specialisation is fitted to the knowledge - emotion - and creativity-based economy and is based on the new development factors, most often of incorporeal and emotional character. The developmental theme of the village is not a matter of chance – it is worked on systematically by using various methods for generating ideas.

 

The European theme villages began appearing after 1990 under the European Union’s program “Leader”. Their establishment was connected with improvement in the competitive position of the rural areas in which the farming methods used so far had declined. Areas that had been unknown so far won recognition and obtained new sources of income as they found something special, something they could show to the world.

 

The conception of theme villages coincides with regional development methods such as, for example, the programme of the Japanese village of Oita “One Village, One Product” and establishment of the theme routes and lands. Today the greatest number of theme villages is in Lower Austria.

 

One of the first Polish theme villages is the hobbits’ village in Sieraków Sławieński. The inspiration for its foundation was the landscape that resembled the Shire land described in J. R. R. Tolkien’s prose. The experiences gained during the foundation of this village are currently used by the Partnership for Development “Razem” (Together), which operates under the EC Initiative Equal. The aim of this partnership is to establish the cluster of five theme villages. The foundation of the cluster of villages will contribute to enhancement and better promotion of their offer.

 

Discussion forum

 

To introduce a village into the new economy is not easy. It is hampered by traditional thinking about ways of earning, but sometimes also by resistance of those who prosper tolerably in the current situation. The new may threaten their position. The new is also uncertain. What will happen if it fails? Thus it is better to do what is proven and certain. The educational farms and theme villages are not the method for earning in a fast and easy manner. Hence, in the current situation, many country inhabitants prefer going abroad to work rather than involving themselves in something that requires learning and gradual attainment of success. Therefore, it is so important to support the country in its transformations and search for ways how to make it attractive to its inhabitants as well as to strangers from the towns and cities, especially to the representatives of the creative class among whom there may be promoters and investors of the knowledge, creativity and emotion economy.

 

The problems related to the position of the country in the new economy have been barely touched herein. They require further exploration and searching for new solutions. If you are interested in these issues, go to the recently started forum at http://www.wioskitematyczne.org.pl/forum/.

 

 

¹   For more details go to: www.laughteryoga.org
²   The significance of creative class to development of cities and areas is described by R. Florida in his book entitled The Rise of the Creative Class. For Florida’s theses you can also visit http://www.creativeclass.org/
³   However, they are mainly attracted to places where the significance of creative class is appreciated. Unfortunately, only few Polish localities can be rated among them.
⁴   It results, for example, from research conducted in the USA, cf. http://www.nycreativeeconomy.cornell.edu/downloads/events/Recasting_Creative_Class.pdf
⁵  Cf. http://www.wannweil.de/Wannweil_2001/internet-fuer-alle/mediendorf/konstanzer_erklaerung.htm
6  Cf. http://www.downaryszp.webpark.pl/zielona.html
⁷  For more details go to: www.wioskitematyczne.org.pl

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