© Rodrigo Viellas
The Territorial Accompaniment methodology developed by the Franco-Brazilian partnership in Amazonia rests on some main axes:
PHASES OF THE METHODOLOGY
The Territorial Accompaniment process is not rigid. The steps and strategies vary from project to project. The process can start with data analysis followed by a field immersion, for example. Or it can start out with a participative approach inside local communities. In this case, the process begins by empowering the communities, moves to the construction of knowledge with researchers, and ends in the creations of maps, which area concrete means for structuring conversations with government and definition of policies that can meet community demands and minimize the damage that comes with agribusiness and climate change.
Both formats generate new information from the experience of different stakeholders, which lends credibility to the interpretation of data and allows for creation of solid conclusions.
In general, the process involves the following steps:
- Agreement on the territory and its challenges
- Engagement and empowerment of stakeholders
- Co-production of knowledge
- Definition of a vision for the future in the territory
- Negotiation of the actions that will lead to the defined vision while avoiding undesired scenarios
© Rodrigo Viellas
A territory included in a Territorial Accompaniment project could be a particular community inside a township, an entire township, or a group of townships—as long as the region has coherent management, organization and potential for development. The vision for development agreed upon by the stakeholders varies according to the specific characteristics of the geographic region under consideration and of the population it benefits.
A broad range of complimentary knowledge is put into action in order to define the best development model for a certain territory:
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- Traditional and local knowledge
- Experiences from other territories
- Scientific research and knowledge
- Maps and spatial analysis
- Statistical studies
- Secondary databases
- Information Technology and Communications
THE PARTICIPATIVE PROCESS
One priority of Territorial Accompaniment is to engage the local population, since it constitutes the basis for development, including after the project has been concluded. Engagement on social issues is the goal during the territorial diagnostic, in creating development goals and in management. By using Territorial Accompaniment tools, stakeholders gain understanding of the place’s challenges, better understand the space in which they live, and define the sort of sustainable territory they want.
The people and institutions involved include:
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- Researchers, professors, consultants, students and scientists in general
- Public administrators on the territorial level (City Hall officials and councils, courts, and state-run companies or agencies operating in the territory such as INCRA or IBAMA)
- Private sector organizations working within the territory such as financial institutions, agricultural industries, productive chains, labor unions, cooperatives and technical repair services NGOs and rural communities through their leaders
All these participants co-build the territorial project. The organize themselves to produce information and define strategies to reach the future they desire for their territory. They become leaders for change and transition, making use of the network of knowledge and skills built together in the Territorial Accompaniment process.
ADAPTATION PROCESS
Territorial Accompaniment is not stagnant, but rather an adaptive and participative process because its different phases are built collectively through progressive understanding and learning. Participants are in constant negotiation, always seeking the actions and innovations that will lead to the most sustainable development possible. This means the focus is on engagement, on the social interactions between participants, on decision making processes and the continual monitoring of change.
