Iperconnessioni Rurali

= an investigation of the application of P2P networking technology to the challenges facing rural Italian communities, by the Ubiquitous Commons project, headed by Salvatore Iaconesi and Oriana Persico, in collaboration with the Rural Hub project in Italy

URL = http://www.ubiquitouscommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/iperconnessioni_rurali_1.0.pdf

Discussion

By Anna Bergren Miller:

"hough these communities may once have represented the ideal of the commons in terms of their basis in “spontaneous mutual care and solidarity,” today “rurality has many phases,” noted Iaconesi. A typical rural village might include lifelong residents, commuters, and immigrants—all of whom have unique skills and needs, but lack direct connection to their neighbors. Take commuters: “They find themselves in these places in which there’s land, space, and the possibility for tight human relationships,” said Iaconesi. “But they don’t know what to do with it. So they find themselves in places with enormous opportunities that they are not in any way able to use.”

Through a series of workshops held in collaboration with partners including Rural Hub, Ubiquitous Commons developed a couple of potential scenarios in which P2P networks could be used to strengthen communities and empower residents. In the first, the Festa Automatica, members of the network share data about their excess food, including expiration dates. The Festa Automatica code uses this information to generate an ideal time for a food-sharing event, and sends an email or text blast to members suggesting they arrange a potluck dinner or food exchange accordingly. The potential benefits of Festa Automatica extend not just to food providers, who can avoid waste, but to community members who might not otherwise have access to healthy offerings.

The second use scenario concerns food-product certifications. With a dizzying array of certifications available, all with their own (sometimes ambiguous) standards and accountability systems, it is hard for producers and consumers alike to know what a particular label means. Members of a rural P2P network could develop their own certification processes online, leaving the responsibility for establishing trust and distributing credentials to the network technology, and providing users with a clearer idea of what their specific program means.

Iperconnessioni Rurali currently utilizes block chain technology, but Iaconesi and Persico are exploring other systems. More important than the specific technology at play is their broader project: to develop, through real-world engagement with stakeholder communities, concrete proposals for leveraging the digital revolution for the greater good. “Basically, it’s a way for people to decide how they can do things with their relational environment,” explained Persico." (http://www.shareable.net/blog/ubiquitous-commons-imagines-a-p2p-revolution-in-rural-italy)