Category:Cosmo-Local Production

"Cosmo-local production is the twinning of our emerging global design commons with the development of localized production processes which are both equitable and sustainable. Examples include recent developments such as FarmBot, PreciousPlastic and AbilityMate (now AbilityMade), and “older” examples such as L’Atelier Paysans and FarmHack." [1]

Introduction

Cosmo-Local Production is a methodology for creating value and products and services that are inspired by the following basic rules: it marries the planetary globalization of knowledge, the 'smart' localization of production, and both local and planetary mutualization, i.e. marrying distributed making and global open innovation:

1) the subsidiarity of material production: i.e. localizing production where sensible, in order to bring production closer to the places of need, support the local economy, and substantially diminish the human footprint

2) global knowledge collaboration through open and global design communities, that bring innovation to bear on all participating distributed places of production

3) the choice for 'generative' models of entreprise in terms of property and governance mechanisms, to give all producers and stakeholder communities a voice

For an extensive framing but also many detailed case studies, see:

* The Cosmo-Local Reader. Ed. José Ramos, Sharon Ede, Michel Bauwens and Gien Wong. P2P Foundation, 2021.

URL = https://clreader.net/

Discussion

Benjamin Life on Cosmolocalism as <the> Bioregional Network Pattern

'The bioregional movement embodies what Michel Bauwens calls "cosmolocalism" — a development pattern where knowledge flows globally while production stays local. This framework resolves a central tension in collapse-aware organizing: how to benefit from collective learning while maintaining place-based autonomy. Rather than either isolationist localism or rootless globalism, cosmolocalism enables planetary coordination without sacrificing bioregional specificity.

In practice, this means open-source designs for rocket stoves spread globally while each bioregion builds them from local materials. Governance innovations from Rojava inform watershed councils in Cascadia, adapted to different cultural contexts. The BioFi Project's economic protocols provide templates that bioregions modify for their specific needs. Knowledge becomes a commons flowing freely across boundaries, while implementation remains grounded in place.

This pattern enables what we might call "viral regeneration"—successful practices spreading through adaptation rather than replication. Unlike franchise models that impose standardization, bioregional networks share patterns that evolve through local application. Each implementation teaches something new, feeding back into the global knowledge commons. The result is not homogenization but differentiation—thousands of experiments in regenerative living, each suited to its specific context while contributing to collective understanding.

Digital infrastructure makes this cosmolocal coordination possible at unprecedented scale. Platforms like GitHub host governance templates anyone can fork and modify. Video calls connect bioregional practitioners across continents for knowledge exchange. Blockchain protocols enable resource sharing between bioregions without central intermediaries. Yet these tools serve bioregional ends rather than replacing place-based organization. Technology enables coordination but cannot substitute for the slow work of building relationships with land and neighbors.

The cosmolocal framework also reshapes economic relationships between bioregions. Rather than competing for mobile capital or racing to the bottom on environmental standards, bioregions can develop complementary specializations. Coastal regions might excel at kelp farming and ocean restoration while mountainous areas focus on forest management and watershed protection. Trade between bioregions could follow fair trade principles, ensuring value flows support regeneration rather than extraction."

(https://omniharmonic.substack.com/p/collapse-parallel-societies-and-the)

Quotes

"The present political economy is geared entirely toward "value-added" operations within a worldview of exponential growth. As you identify policies or activities that are geared toward *value-restored* or *value-replenished* operations within in a framework of logistic growth (e.g., carrying capacity), I think we may find the leverage points we are seeking."

— James Quilligan [2]

"A cosmopolitan localist approach toward bioregionalism would catalyse a globally connected ‘coming home to place’ (Wahl 2020a). In the words of transition designer and social ecologist Gideon Kossoff, “we do not have to choose between our immediate, geographically proximate community and the larger community of humanity. Indeed, we cannot afford to make this choice: the fate of humanity and planetary ecosystems are inextricably intertwined at the local and global level” (2019, p. 52)."

- Kiran Kashyap [3]

Directory of Projects

From an upcoming book on Cosmo-Local Production, edited by Jose Ramos et al.:

Table 3 - preliminary analysis of cosmolocal challenges and needs