In community run situations like the smaller farmers market and the larger Eco-village the importance of having agreed values and good communication can't be stressed enough plus the ability to work together.
With the coin if the confidence can be built in the coin I think it is a good idea to have your own means of an exchange mechanism because of the falling confidence in other fiat currencies.
I think the lesson here is to start small and grow only as you are able - I don't believe in going into debt and it has served me well my whole life.