"Growing Livelihoods"

A widely used promissory currency concept

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Future Orchard Currency Concept

We recently put our currency concept forward for ‘Growing Livelihoods’ – this note covers what we sent in:

  • A widely used promissory currency, along the lines of the ‘Úll’ would beyond doubt provide livelihoods and create jobs in food creation.
  • A currency not dictated to by global exchange rates but rather backed and valued by local producers, would change the current un-level playing ‘field’ of food production. An indexed ‘standard of value’ for currencies would be an amazing catalyst for change.
  • Our Idea is to collaborate with producers committed to shortening food supply chains and encourage them to take the simple step of ‘valuing’ their produce more by creating their own produce backed currency.

We sincerely believe that smaller-scale growers are creators of true wealth – but that a dangerous difficulty exists, whereby the current economic paradigm undervalues that production. Many employment opportunities exist for those who can produce food items of ‘value’ with their labour & skills, in collaboration with nature’s capacity to provide.

Producers at the point of sale are well aware of this disconnect and many already engage in direct trade and exchange, without the use of cash. By creating their own currency, producers assert their right to be valued. Our Idea is to support this right. Co-operation and collaboration precede positive change. It seems imperative to make real connections quickly with others whose ethos really is ‘to shorten the food supply chain’.

A ground swell of produce-backed ‘complementary currencies’ would create a fresh media spin on the value of ‘food producers’. A new ‘currency’ on the horizon would provide a hopeful sign of much needed change. The bit-coin created a global awareness of trading alternatives but, in fact, there is nothing new about creating currencies and formalising their value. We work at spreading this message.

irish heritage source creating currency