Essays from West of 98: A New Local Sufficiency
In recent times, we have experienced the wonders of a worldwide, efficiency-driven supply chain for goods that we need and want. In the last two years, we have also experienced the perils of that Rube Goldberg-esque economic machine. This is not a new phenomenon. This has been a multidecade change in how business is done in America. Goods are cheaper. Manufacturing is more automated. Items are mass produced on a larger scale than ever. The advent of internet-based technology has accelerated aspects of this change, from the development of online shopping and payment systems to the rapid-delivery of retailers like Amazon.
To be clear, this is not all bad. Many manufacturing and technological innovations have made life markedly better for Americans. We should acknowledge and embrace that. This is not a nostalgia-driven case to “put things back the way they used to be.” We could not de-automate manufacturing or de-globalize the supply chain if we wanted to. Even if we could, our society has simply grown too accustomed to certain efficiencies and priorities to ever make it viable or a good idea.
So why are we having this conversation? I certainly do not care to waste your time or mine with a meaningless academic exercise. I have been thinking a lot about the concept of local communities as ecosystems (as you know if you have been reading). A hallmark of local ecosystems at their peak was a local sufficiency and independence that no longer exists in American communities. The ecosystem was built around a particular purpose. The rest of the community developed to serve that purpose and those working within it. The community met most of its own demands for goods and services because looking outside simply wasn’t an option. Travel was more difficult and the internet was non-existent. Nobody drove to Dallas or logged on to Amazon Prime to get what they needed. If there was sufficient local demand, then local people rose to supply the demand or new people arrived in town for that purpose.
Rural America will not undo a worldwide supply chain or reverse the dominance of massive retailers in the marketplace. And that’s okay! We shouldn’t strive for that, because there are aspects of modern efficient life that make rural life much better and easier than it was for prior generations. For much of American history, rural life has been hard. We need to make 21st century rural life appealing for newcomers. That is more likely to be a successful sales pitch than “move here, it’s worse!”
Rather than try to undo or reverse worldwide trends that are not within our control, we should build up our local ecosystems around the new landscape. I have talked about a post-pandemic roadmap for rural America and this is part of it. There are certain trends that existed before the pandemic or that have grown up in the last two years. They are ripe for a New Local Sufficiency movement, if you will.
Amazon will still exist. Walmart will still exist. Online shopping will remain a massive presence in the retail sector. We cannot control any of those things, so we can choose to treat them as a positive or as a negative. I choose the positive. Walmart does not sell everything, nor does it want to. Amazon might sell everything, but they do not have a local presence for instant delivery. Online shopping is great and it can be located anywhere…like right here in our communities.
As we near the holiday season, I want to talk about some interesting trends in shopping and manufacturing that bode well for rural America. We should take a step towards local sufficiency this holiday season by looking to shop local as much as possible. We should also look towards the overall retail landscape, identify what needs or demands exist within our local communities, and figure out how we might be able to serve more of those needs right here within our city limits. We might be surprised what opportunities exist!
James Decker is the Mayor of Stamford, Texas and the creator of the West of 98 website and podcast. Contact James and subscribe to these essays at westof98.substack.com and subscribe to West of 98 wherever podcasts are found.