"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/

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