Analysis Of The Idea Of A Local Economy By Wendell Berry

In the “The Idea of a Local Economy,” Wendell Berry begins his commentary by defining a total economy, he defines it as an economy “in which everything- life forms, for instance, -or the right to pollute, is “private property” and has a price and is for sale. Berry goes a step further to state that in a total economy, corporations rather than individuals make all critical choices. Berry lays out his solution to narrowing resources and explains his idea of a local economy.
Berry believes that we are destroying our planet and our resources with our ever-increasing spending, wastefulness, and growth mindset. He explains his views on the complacency of our government and the need for us to all act. He believes that people need to protect themselves by developing a local economy, beginning with the idea of farm to table.

Essentially lowering our use and need of shipping, freight, and fossil fuels. He firmly believes that by developing a local economy, local producers have a stake in the game. They are invested, and they will have a level of care that is otherwise missing from a total economy. His idea relies solely on neighborhood and subsistence. In neighborhoods there is comradery, they care for one another, they work together, and they are equitable.
Realizing there are limitations to what can be produced locally, he believes that a viable community will not export without first providing for themselves. They will not export just for the sake of export, they will only export excess and in such will provide for their communities as well as communities that are limited in production capabilities. Berry states that “the principle of subsistence is in fact the best guarantee of give-able or marketable surpluses. These kinds of protections are not isolationism” but it is indeed implying the principle of charity