Introduction and Overview › Glossary for the Networking Language · 1 min read
Material flow describes the movement of all physical materials within a supply landscape. This includes food as well as packaging, reusable containers, seeds, operating resources, raw materials, or residual materials.
In the TEIKEI network, we do not view material flow in isolation. It is always connected to information flow, financial flow, and responsibility flow. Only the interaction of these flows enables a functional, resilient, and traceable supply system.
A material flow begins with the production or provision of a material and does not necessarily end with its use. Returns, reusable systems, reuse, recycling, or composting are also part of the material flow.
For food, the material flow starts with seeds, planting material, animals, and crops—i.e., with breeding.
Materials move in cycles, not just in one direction.
How to read the diagram: At the top, the path of materials in food: It begins with breeding (seeds, planting material, animals, crops), moves through production or provision to use, and does not necessarily end there—returns, reusable systems, reuse, recycling, and composting are also part of it (dashed arc). In the middle, what belongs to material flow: food, packaging, reusable containers, seeds, operating resources, raw materials, residual materials; the Agora makes these paths visible. At the bottom, the four flows that only together enable resilient supply. Top right, "↑ Part of" leads back to Transaction Chains. Boxes with ↗ lead to: Breeding, Goods Flow in Agora Marketplace, Information Flow, Financial Flow, Responsibility Flow.
The Agora transparently maps material flows. This makes it visible where materials are located, which paths they take, what resources are needed, and where optimization potential or bottlenecks arise.
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By the TEIKEI editorial team, with support from AI (ChatGPT)
Created on July 19, 2026 · Last updated on October 11, 2026
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