An open lab to cooperatively design and manufacture tools for small-scale agricultural production, providing peer-to-peer and open-source practical solutions through mutual coordination networks, and aiming to reach a commons-centric economy and society
Context
Peer to peer (P2P) are decentralised networks mostly known as ways of bringing people together over the internet in a non-hierarchical and non-coercive manner. P2P is typically associated with the production of digital goods like Wikipedia and other free and open-source software models. However, peer production can also be manifested through inter-regional or intra-regional exchanges of physical resources and tangible goods between individuals. Peer production or Commons Based Peer Production (CBPP) has the potential to play an important role in building forms of value creation and distribution in ways that are not dominated by capital and state. It can be seen as an alternative to the system where private corporations use capital (money, resources, technology, etc.) to create and distribute goods and services in order to generate profits, while the state enforces laws, regulations, and policies that support the interests of capital.
Practice
Tzoumakers is an example of a peer production practice in the mountainous region of Tzoumerka in Northern Greece. In commons-based peer production, contributors create shared value through open contributory systems, governing the work through participatory practices and creating shared resources. Tzoumakers is an open-source agricultural community of local farmers and researchers who collaboratively design and build practical solutions and tools for their production needs, using modern and traditional technologies. Tzoumakers were formed around a practical problem: finding appropriate tools for their everyday activities. They began with simple gatherings in an abandoned school building where they gradually created a space to share, reflect, and ideate on their common challenges and aspirations. These gatherings were initiated by a group of young researchers called P2P Lab, a local research collective focused on the commons.
The work of Tzoumakers is based on the concept of Commons-Based Peer Production (CBPP) establishing an open network for anyone with skills to contribute to a common project where the knowledge of all participants is pooled. Their practice is built upon local knowledge systems by applying self-management and peer-to-peer methodologies — inspired by the commons and solidarity economics – and using digital and technological innovations. Tzoumakers belong to a wider network of commons-oriented open agricultural communities who share knowledges, experiences, designs, and resources regarding regenerative agricultural methods and distributed manufacturing technologies towards new forms of open cooperativism. Such an approach has the potential to play a powerful role in shaping re-imagined rural futures. In the face of climate breakdown, community organised P2P networks such as this present an alternative to the extractivist tendencies of capitalist systems, allowing circular and shared economies to flourish. The decentralised and collaborative nature of these networks allows them to operate in a more equitable manner promoting the efficient use of resources and creating value that is shared among all participants. They can also be scaled up to create wider networks, increasing their reach and impact.