Intuitively I know that ‘small’ is nearly always best. But faced with the huge problem of hunger, can ‘small’ be a sustainable solution ? I have been encouraged recently by the idea of social currencies. It is a concept that sits well within the field of micro finance and community based living.
If anyone has time and could do some research for us, useful starting points could be the BBC report and a more recent article by Shane Huges .
What I find really encouraging about these initiatives is that ordinary people are beginning to take control of their own circumstances. So often we feel powerless against the might of big institutions, especially banks. In these examples the traditional, profit making banks are simply removed from the equation – money is put at the service of the community rather than increasing share holder profits.