Supply. Chains.

This is one shop in Madikeri.

Almost everything you see there came on the back of a truck at the end of a long supply chain. With packaging, storage, wastage. All of it representing huge energy and material consumption, and value loss to the producers. And plastic and waste at the end of it where it’s sold.

My back of the envelope numbers on what Kodagu loses because brooms aren’t made around there anymore is likely close to double digit crores. Pickles — that every Ajji knew how to make and SHGs easily can — 2x of that. Likely much, much larger for toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, shampoo. All with local alternatives easily doable.

Imagine 20–30cr lost from the region just on 2 things easily doable locally. Imagine other such simple products. Imagine 100s of crores lost overall. Imagine the surplus loss, the livelihood opportunities. Imagine the migration this drives. Imagine the need to ask for govt subsidies and support for the basics because of the massive bleed. Imagine the diesel and material footprint, the waste burning and leeching into the water.

Imagine this repeat for place after place after place across the countries. Across 30000 clusters in India, all with -ve surpluses economically, ecologically and eventually socially.

Is that the world and country we wanted to have?