Most of us feel it: life is getting faster, more stressful, more expensive, and more disconnected. Our food travels absurd distances, our work lives feel stretched, and our communities feel thinner than they used to. In the middle of all of this, a growing movement is offering a surprisingly simple — and surprisingly hopeful — alternative. It’s called localisation, and if you’ve never heard the term before, you’re not alone.
In the first episode of the NENA Podcast, Henry Coleman helps us understand what localisation really means, why it matters, and why it is already quietly transforming communities around the world.
Localisation: A Direction, Not a Destination
Localisation is often confused with an “all or nothing” ideal — the idea that we should suddenly produce everything locally or withdraw from the world. But Henry encourages us to see it differently.
The simplest definition is this:
Localisation means shortening the distance between producers and consumers, especially for the things we rely on every day.
It isn’t a rigid rule or a perfect end state. It’s a direction — a way of moving gradually toward more resilient, more connected, and more ecologically grounded ways of living. It is about rebalancing a system that has tipped far too heavily toward globalisation and corporate consolidation.
And it’s also about acknowledging something we already intuitively know:
what works in one place shouldn’t be imposed on every place.
A healthy economy in a rainforest, a desert, a dense city, or a coastal town will look different — and should look different. Localisation honours this ecological and cultural diversity instead of flattening it.
Why People Are Turning Toward Localisation
Much of Henry’s interest in this work began with something many people can relate to: a deep love of nature and an increasing awareness that our economic system is putting both the planet and our wellbeing under immense strain.
As he points out, despite decades of economic “growth”, many people are worse off. Housing costs have skyrocketed, working hours have increased, and social isolation has deepened. At the same time, biodiversity loss, resource extraction and environmental degradation are accelerating.
Localisation shows us that the problem isn’t humans, or progress, or the desire for good lives. The problem is the scale and direction of the current system. By shifting our economies back toward local production, local decision-making, and local relationships, we can support livelihoods, strengthen resilience, and regenerate ecosystems — all at once.
Isn’t Big Agribusiness Necessary to Feed the World? (Spoiler: No)
One of the most common objections Henry hears is that small-scale or localised agriculture couldn’t possibly feed the global population. The research — and practical examples around the world — shows the opposite.
Diversified, ecological, small-scale farms produce more food per acre, use less water, and restore soil and biodiversity far more effectively than large industrial monocultures. What they lack is not productivity — but policy support.
Localisation isn’t nostalgic or anti-technology. It simply asks: what scale actually works for people and ecosystems? And more often than not, the answer is: smaller than we’ve been told.
Localisation Is Already Happening — Everywhere
Across the world, communities are rebuilding the foundations of local economic life:
- Farmer’s markets where growers earn fair income and customers buy fresh food from people they know.
- Community-supported agriculture schemes that bring farmers and households into closer relationship.
- Local finance initiatives where people invest directly in local businesses rather than distant corporations.
- Community gardens that improve mental health, social connection, and food security.
- Local currencies and energy cooperatives keeping wealth circulating locally.
- Cultural initiatives such as local newspapers, festivals, and place-based education programs.
- Municipal policies that protect local markets, support young farmers, or encourage small-scale renewable energy.
These examples look different everywhere — from rural Japan to Brazilian cities to Australian regional towns — but they share the same underlying principles: diversity, interdependence, human connection and ecological care.
Localisation and the Loneliness Epidemic
One of the most powerful insights in the interview is the link between localisation and wellbeing.
Research on loneliness consistently shows that proximity matters. The closer and more frequent our face-to-face interactions, the more supported we feel. Local food systems, community events, shared spaces, and mutual support networks all create the kinds of everyday encounters that make life feel meaningful.
Localisation is not only about economics — it’s about rebuilding the relationships that make us human.
So Where Do We Start?
Henry suggests beginning with something beautifully simple:
use the word “localisation” more often.
Once you have a word for something, you start seeing it everywhere — and you start recognising the alternatives that already exist in your community.
Beyond that, he offers five guiding principles:
Reconnect
Find others near you. Build connections. Volunteer. Join a local food initiative. Talk to growers at your markets.
Rethink
Shift how you understand the economy — away from “left vs right” and toward “scale, speed and place”.
Resist
Speak up against policies that further entrench global corporate power at the expense of local resilience.
Renew
Support grassroots projects, small enterprises, and regenerative land practices.
Rejoice
Celebrate what is already local, joyful, meaningful and alive in your community.
Localisation Isn’t a Dream — It’s a Practice
The global economy may feel overwhelming, but localising is something we can begin right now, right where we are. With every farmers’ market we support, every garden we plant, every local business we back, and every conversation we have, we are contributing to the “dynamic unfolding” of a different kind of future.
And as Henry reminds us:
When the old system inevitably falters, the seeds we plant today determine what grows in its place.
