🤝 The symbiotic economy is a concept that was developed by economists and social scientists in the 1980s and 1990s.
It is based on the idea that businesses and individuals can coexist and prosper by working together in a mutually beneficial way.
👉 This can be done by sharing resources, collaborating to solve common problems, or creating products or services that benefit all parties involved.
👨🏻🌾👷🏻♀️💁♂️ The symbiotic economy differs from the traditional economy in that it emphasizes the relationships and interactions between the different actors rather than simply maximizing profits.
👉💡 It is indeed based on an economy of diversity and not of standardization, on an economy of need and not to flood the market in order to create needs. It is an economy based on sharing and not on patents.
It is an economy that uses the services provided by living, social and technical ecosystems, instead of destroying them.
It is an economy of efficiency, which uses all available materials (energy, information...) instead of being extractive as our current economy is, which extracts, transforms, distributes and throws away.
The predominant engine of a symbiotic economy is therefore cooperation and not competition.
👍 The benefits of the symbiotic economy:
👉 It allows businesses and individuals to help and support each other, making local communities stronger and more resilient in the face of change and challenges.
👉 The symbiotic economy promotes innovation by encouraging different parties to work together to find innovative solutions to the problems they face.
👉 This contributes to sustainability by encouraging companies to use available resources more efficiently and minimize their impact on the environment.
🚜 An example of a symbiotic economy: in an agricultural cooperative, farmers work together to grow vegetables and fruit in a sustainable manner. They share their skills, tools and resources to produce high-quality food, while minimizing their impact on the environment. They can also work together to sell their produce directly to consumers at local markets, allowing them to get a better price for their work while creating connections with their community.
🤜🤛 In this example, all parties involved benefit from this symbiotic collaboration: farmers get a better income, consumers have access to fresh, local produce, and the environment is protected through sustainable farming practices.
🧐♻️ The symbiotic economy is based on the symbiosis between human intelligence, the power of natural ecosystems and the technosphere, a concept that designates the physical part of the environment affected by human-induced modifications.
By finding the right balance between the three, it is possible to produce by regenerating resources, instead of exhausting them.