Philosophy

TERRA believes that science-based decisions, community participation, and appropriate technology are necessary conditions for successful, long-lasting development and disaster preparedness.

Resource Development Philosophy

TERRA believes that economic and social development is best achieved by improving the management of natural resources; this management is best performed when sound science aids the decision process. TERRA employs simple analysis, often not available to rural communities, that aid decisions and increases the local knowledge base. For example, TERRA does not rashly drill a well when water is needed to improve crop production. TERRA first collects information to ensure that water is of quality, the well productivity is high, and the life of the well is sustainable within the limits of the projected population growth.

More broadly, TERRA believes that effective economic and social progress require simple solutions, which utilize local resources, and educate community members. To this end, TERRA designs projects to be financially manageable ($1,000-$50,000) and emphasizes local technological capacities. TERRA empowers the participating parties through education and collaboration during all phases of the project. This encourages the participants to be self-reliant and to take an active role in their own development. It also improves project sustainability because the community has incentive to maintain its invested local resources.

Disaster preparedness and resiliency philosophy

Image description goes here.While sustainable development can greatly increase a community's welfare, natural disasters can rapidly destroy a community's economic and social foundation. Recent examples include the South Pacific Tsunami and Central America's Hurricane Mitch. Both resulted in the tragic loss of life and the widespread devastation of drinking water facilities, roads, and other crucial infrastructure.

TERRA believes that disaster management and preparedness need to be incorporated into community development to:

  1. increase the capacity to cope with and respond to disasters.
  2. minimize the loss and damage of life, property, and the environmental resources.
  3. build a community resilient to future natural disasters.

Incorporating a disaster management plan into community development has not been a focus of governmental and aid organizations. They focus on post-disaster recovery. However, some events destroy infrastructure and delay external help. In order to minimize damage caused by this delay, rural communities must be self-reliant and have the capability to undertake initial recovery steps.

To make communities self-reliant, TERRA has adopted a Community Based Disaster Management Model. TERRA works with communities to identify probable disasters, analyze community weaknesses, fortify those weakness with social and economic development, and train community leaders on effective response procedures once a disaster strikes.

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