Present State
When we think of the aspirations of a common family that lives in an urban area of the present day, it’s very easy to imagine a homogenized set of desires: malls full of brands and exciting urban wear and fashion garments, supermarkets full of exotic, organic and healthy foods from all over the planet at affordable prices, excellent cars and machines to jet set around the world and access to the best global products and opportunities.
If you were to calculate the production and product cycles graphs of some of these items, you might notice that some of them are of local origin, or there is a local alternative. But as a part of a product development cycle, sourcing, processing, manufacturing, and marketing and selling and making a brand out if it, we usually prefer or determine and ascribe quality to the standardized availability of these products in quality controlled and plastic wrapped containers on the shelves of the mega shopping markets. In some cases, a product made by your neighbour might make a trip all around the world and be sold back to you probably with a cool little brand logo.
Let’s use ChatGPT to unpack how desire is generated and packaged.
Cycle of manufactured desires
Thus spoke the machine:
Gilles Deleuze, a French philosopher, and his collaborator Félix Guattari explored the relationship between desire, capitalism, and social organization in their influential works such as "Anti-Oedipus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia" and "A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia." While they didn't explicitly discuss the "organization to manufacture societal desires for feeding capitalism" in those exact terms, their ideas provide insights into the mechanisms through which capitalism operates.
Deleuze and Guattari argue that capitalism operates by capturing and channeling desire, transforming it into productive forces. They refer to this process as "desiring-production," where capitalism creates and shapes desires to drive consumption and production, ultimately serving its own interests. They critique the way capitalism molds and exploits desires, turning them into a means of control and subjugation.
Deleuze and Guattari propose the concept of the "schizoanalysis" to challenge the established order and open up possibilities for alternative modes of existence. They advocate for deterritorializing desire from the capitalist system, breaking free from its imposed constraints, and exploring new forms of collective and individual liberation.
While their works do not address the specific phrase you mentioned, they offer valuable insights into the dynamics between desire, social organization, and capitalism, emphasizing the need to resist and challenge the control mechanisms employed by capitalism in shaping societal desires.
Aspiring to be local
While it is easy and privileged to think of curbing desires when you have tried all the varieties of products, how does one address a person who has never owned or used that product before, but sees it advertised and consumed by others?
Can we take pride in prioritizing local production and consumption? Absolutely, if we recognize that ecosystems thrive when the cost of waste related to creation, production, consumption, and recycling is calculated and accounted for. As a collective, we can take pride in being planetary by prioritizing localism.
Think earthily, act locally. Then think locally, act earthily
What is situated economy?
Back to the machine:
The term "situated economy" is not a widely recognized or established concept in economics or related fields. However, based on the phrase itself, it could refer to an economic system or approach that takes into account the specific context, conditions, and circumstances of a particular location or setting.
A situated economy would acknowledge the unique characteristics, resources, and challenges of a specific geographic area or community. It would consider factors such as local industries, available resources, environmental conditions, cultural practices, and social dynamics in shaping economic activities and policies. The idea behind a situated economy is to tailor economic strategies and interventions to the specific needs and potentials of a particular region or context.
This concept aligns with some principles of regional or local economic development, which emphasize the importance of understanding and leveraging the specific advantages and assets of a particular place to foster economic growth and sustainability.
It's worth noting that the term "situated economy" may not have a universally accepted definition or usage, and its meaning could vary depending on the context in which it is employed.
Building socio-ecological resilience
And the machine says:
Socio-ecological resilience refers to the capacity of a social-ecological system to absorb disturbances, adapt to changes, and maintain essential functions, structures, and feedbacks in the face of external stresses or shocks. It is a concept that recognizes the interconnectedness and interdependence between social and ecological systems.
Socio-ecological resilience acknowledges that human well-being and the health of ecosystems are closely intertwined. It emphasizes the need to consider both social and ecological dimensions when assessing and promoting resilience.
Some observations from our work on Situated Economy in Odisha
Building a framework for the situated economy
The state of Odisha has a history of working with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and have pioneered many schemes and programmes such as Mission Shakti & Odisha Livelihoods Mission (OLM), Ama Gaon Ama Bikash, Odisha Tribal Empowerment & Livelihoods Programme Plus (OTELP), Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme for empowering farming communities, Odisha Millet Mission (OMM), Integrated agriculture that advance poverty alleviation and economic empowerment to serve women, farmers and marginalized communities.
The state has for long identified the active and dynamic role of women in contributing to the state domestic economy. The state has been empowering them through socio-economic activities through the Mission Shakti Women Self-help group (SHG) model for the past two decades, of which 70 lakh women are engaged in economic activities as members of 6.02 lakhs of Women SHGs. The govt. has also recently expressed the will to transform the Women SHGs into Small & Medium Enterprises (SME’s) through interest-free loans, procurement of goods & services from SHGs and establishing industrial parks across all districts to boost women entrepreneurship activities and above all constant hand holding through the Producer Group mode. The strength of collective venture enterprises lies in reinforcing supply chains, creating standardized products, economies of scale and boosts employment and income generation
Environmental degradation and climate change are universal phenomena, underlining more and more on food security, health and life. Odisha has been identified as one of eight States in the country which are highly vulnerable to climate change and need prioritization of adaptation interventions, according to the national climate vulnerability assessment report, by the Department of Science and Technology (DST). Residents of the state are highly aware of the ramifications of climate change, its impact and its vulnerabilities and this gives a perspective of placing a concept like ‘situated economy’. A Council for Energy Environment & Water (CEEW) 2020 report titled, ‘Preparing India for Extreme Climate Events’, stated that as many as 26 out of the 30 districts in Odisha, which is home to nearly 36 million people, are exposed to extreme climate events such as cyclones, floods, and droughts.
There is a felt need to offer opportunities to make people more climate resilient. The situated economy is a view to bring economic progress, environmental concerns and the value of traditional knowledge systems into a system that enables a flourishing society. In simple terms, enhancing the capacity of local communities to transform their local economy which will eventually positively impact their livelihood and prosperity.
Institutional insights
VDC community model / other institutions /byelaws - created by CSOs in their areas of operation - managed inclusive community governance observed to be working better
In some regions, the SHGs are more functional with the presence of collective activities whereas in some regions, the SHGs activities were individual rather than collective
Convergences with FPOs - SHGs engaged in collective activities - farming, hatcheries, broiler, goat farming, mushroom cultivation, vermicompost production, etc
APC approach has institutionalised market process doubling the SHG income
Equipped with managerial and basic bookkeeping skills.
FPOs
enterprising in areas where convergences created by the enabling organisations with state govt.
SHG Felts
SHGs expressed that they need support to transition to large profitable businesses.
Felt need to leverage digital financial services and e-commerce platforms to streamline and augment the financial wellbeing of women SHGs through digital networks
SHGs expressed interest in processing oilseeds, flax seeds, corn, lemon grass; growing of cashew, millet, kandul, marigold, sweet potato, nursery operations, etc.
Aspirations and growing demand for new business ideas which are ecologically appropriate.
On observing the economic independence that Woman SHGs receive, the young girls aspire to create girl SHGs to undertake agriculture economic based activities and micro enterprises whereas male youth aspire to understand aspects of marketing farm produce
SHGs, adolescent and youth groups have expressed their interest in carrying out allied agri activities, agri-processing and value addition activities, waste management activities, financial management, accounting, cafe hospitality, village governance, etc.
For instance, the SHGs at Joda, Keonjhar want to set up a ragi cafe with govt. support and sell locally available bamboo, soap, detergent, tamarind pickles, etc.
Learnings and good practices
CSO’s have a different playbook which they are curating across their geographies.
CSO’s work is evident because they have taken up ownership in mobilization and scaling.
- For e.g., Gram Vikas is implementing VDCs for managing water & land resources.
- Youth institutions have also been created by Gram Vikas to support the VDC, for instance a community cadre called Village Institutions Service Providers (VISPs) who are volunteers from within the village that support various development tasks taken up by the VDC such as piped water supply, water quality testing, weather & crop advisory, animal husbandry & water source sustainability.
FES is employing their work on commons and reviving bylaws for community governance of shared natural resources.
- The commons can be developed as a source of food, housing materials and livelihoods to bring in a situated economy.
PRADAN’s APC model of SHGs in tribal regions is working because it has the right mix of elements for enterprise building resulting in higher incomes for women SHG members. Harsha Trust is also following a similar model.
- Organisations like PRADAN have built a key list of winner crops that can provide a significant increase in income for farmers. These include single season crops like marigold & eggplant as well as multi-season products like Bamboo.
Based on the Odisha Report by Jonathan D Syiemlieh