Understanding and planning your process of replenishing your food, energy, water, tools, clothes etc. allows you to be resilient to changes and keep your supply chain intact i.e. sustainable. The more you can supply these elements yourself or have alternative options to supply them, the more self sufficient you will be. This document provides you with a process to understand and improve the different supply chains that you are currently managing.
There are three things you need to manage so that your supply chain can deliver. Giving you what you want, when you want it and at the right quantity:
Information
Time
Stock
This allows you to understand the actual situation, plan and manage your requirements proactively and timely while keeping the right stock to maximise efficiency and protect against shortages.
Managing these three areas effectively will allow you to have a sustainable self sufficient Supply Chain and have the following key items to survive, prosper and sustain:
Water
Food
Shelter
Energy
Heating
Equipment
Clothing
. Always keep control of your value flow:
no debt, cash in hand, products, stock, precious metals
costs kept low and limit non essentials
avoid waste
efficiency of your time & energy
Measuring the success of your supply chain is done by understanding and balancing the following:
Availability
Stock value
Costs
Consider these as three points to a triangle and as such a change on one point will create a reaction to the other points e.g. reducing stock value can easily reduce availability and can increase cost. Planning effectively with information and resource time will allow you to have an effective and sustainable balance.
Keep in mind the following aspects so that you optimise:
Local produce, suppliers, shops
Seasonal foods to reduce costs, self sufficient
Like minded people to exchange ideas and products with, friendship and support.
Health - prevention rather than cure, fitness from doing, grounding, fresh air, natural remedies and immunity.
Example of your homestead sustainable, self sufficient supply chain: Purchased Food Supply Whether you produce you own, exchange with others of buy from a shop, your food supply is a great example of how the elements of a supply chain work. In this example we will look at the food supply that is purchased into your household. 1. Take the 3 things we need to manage:
Information: Do you know what food you need and when?
Time: How long can you wait for the supply of food? Do you shop every day? Once a week?
Stock: How much stock do you keep? How do you ensure quality/manage shelf life? What storage space do you have?
2. Then understand your actual current state:
Availability: Is all the food you need available every hour of each day in your household?
Do you know how robust the supply chain of your shop is?
Do you have a back up plan if that shop cannot supply what you want or you cannot get to it?
Stock value: How many days of stock can you afford to keep? Are prices going to increase or decrease?
Costs: Do you shop at the closest most convenient shop or do you look around for the cheapest store?
Take a scenario:
Availability: HIGH. You decide that you want strong availability
Stock Value: LOW. You want fresh purchases so you keep a small stock only
Costs: HIGH. You shop daily to give the high availability you want and so use a lot of fuel and your time.
Costs become a concern, so you have three choices to reduce costs:
Increase the stock you keep so you reduce the frequency of your shop but availability will remain high.
Accept lower availability as you do not want to increase your stock level but shop less frequently to reduce costs.
Change where you shop and go to a cheaper supermarket, exchange more products or supply more of your own.
I would imagine that we have all implemented all of the options above. By doing so you have increased the sustainability of your supply chain and if you combine that with increasing your own supply or the exchange with your community group then you are increasing your self sufficiency as well.