Introduction and Overview › Values · 5 min read
"Protecting local supply" describes a fundamental principle in the TEIKEI network.
It does not imply exclusion toward the outside, but rather a clear order of responsibility:
First comes the local supply.
Then comes the regional supply.
Only afterward comes the Europe-regional supply.
TEIKEI thus begins where concrete relationships, farms, pickup locations, members, and community structures already exist. Only when something is not available locally or can be meaningfully supplemented do regional or Europe-regional connections come into play.
Protecting local supply therefore means:
What is grown, produced, processed, or collectively supported locally should first be made visible, distributed, and consumed locally.
To make protecting local supply practically understandable, a clear distinction between local, regional, and Europe-regional is necessary.
Local refers to what arises directly around a farm or an individual pickup location.
This includes, for example:
Local thus means: a direct relationship between producers and members at a specific place.
Those who belong locally have access to the complete offering of this structure.
Regional refers to the shared supply area of multiple local structures.
Using the KEWI network as an example, this means:
Freiburg & Region is the regional level.
Here, various farms, SoLaWis, food co-ops, distribution points, and cooperative projects are connected.
Regional includes, for example:
Regional means: multiple local structures work together.
Europe-regional is the level between regions and countries.
This concerns, for example, connections between Germany and Greece or other growing regions within Europe.
Europe-regional offerings include, for example:
These offerings supplement the supply where certain foods do not grow locally or are not seasonally available.
Europe-regional means: supplementation from connected regions, not replacement of local supply.
TEIKEI structurally strengthens regional agriculture and thus the existing local supply.
Without a clear protective logic, the following dynamic quickly arises:
A product from another region is cheaper, more readily available, or easier to organize—and thus displaces the local offering.
A simple example:
If carrots are grown locally, these carrots should not be replaced by carrots from another region just because they are cheaper.
If vegetables grow in a region, these vegetables should also be eaten there.
If a farm offers potatoes, bread, eggs, or fruit, this offering should not be replaced by external products, or the farm should distribute its production within its immediate surroundings.
The core principle is:
Local and regional offerings must not be played off against Europe-regional offerings.
A central point is the pricing logic.
Europe-regional offerings can:
This creates a structural advantage.
If these offerings directly compete with local offerings, it is not the inferior product that loses, but the weaker structure.
This principle therefore protects:
It does not protect a product, but the foundation of the supply.
In everyday practice, this means:
This applies equally to products, relationships, logistics, and communication.
Access differs depending on the level.
The local offering is tied to membership.
For example:
Only those who are part of this structure gain access to the local full range of products.
The regional offering arises from the shared supply area.
A person can access regional cooperative offerings through a pickup location or a community.
These may include products from multiple partners and be combined.
Europe-regional offerings are made accessible via the TEIKEI Agora.
Access is provided, for example, through:
These offerings supplement the local and regional supply.
The principle becomes concretely visible in the KEWI network.
Local refers to what happens directly around a farm or pickup location:
Regional is Freiburg & Region as a shared supply area.
Europe-regional is the connection to other regions, for example, to Greece.
This makes it clear:
The structure begins at the specific location and is only expanded afterward.
Protecting local supply does not mean that everything must take place locally.
The levels complement each other:
This creates a system that does not create dependency but rather connects.
This principle is part of the structure of a connected network.
The network grows not through displacement but through connection.
This keeps the system stable while remaining open to collaboration.
Protecting local supply ensures that the Agora does not become an arbitrary marketplace.
It makes visible:
And it ensures:
First, what grows locally is strengthened.
Then, what is meaningfully missing is supplemented.
↑ One level up: Values
By Felix Schröder, with support from AI (ChatGPT)
Created on March 31, 2026 · Last updated on June 9, 2026
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