Meaningful technological intervention in the global co-op sector starts with convenings of members who have to understand the long-term threats posed by venture-capital-funded tech companies ...

and the opportunities of cooperative digital alternatives. Farmers, for example, would have to agree to act together, committing themselves to a participatory, inclusive design process.

Projects would build on small successes; experiments that are launched in accelerator programs such as http://start.coop , http://UnFound.coop , or http://incubator.coop , and others.

The only organization that has the needed credibility among co-ops across the various sectors worldwide is @icacoop. They are the only organization that could coordinate efforts around a small number of global co-ops such as ...

1) a global taxi platform, 2) a replicable technology that would allow small farmers in the Global South and beyond to coordinate their harvests and consequent sale to markets, 3) a customizable, open source labor platform that allows service co-ops to reach more affluent clients

4) e-car and e-scooter sharing platforms, 5) a global cooperatively-owned online market place, 6) a governance tool that allows the geograph. dispersed membership of co-ops to increase their participation, 7) a community-minded short-term rental platform 8) a data sharing tech

Many of these projects are reinventing the wheel because of a lack of centralized, international management/leadership, a lack of commitment to open source, and resource sharing. Millions of dollars are wasted in the process.

This work cannot be performed by co-ops alone. Strong allies already exist in a network of “sharing cities” and progressive municipalities like Bologna and Barcelona, and federal states like Kerala and California.

This work requires legal experts and competent, efficient technologists who understand co-design and open source methodologies.

While this would probably violate the bylaws of the @icacoop, it might be most useful to amplify existing scalable solutions where possible. It is incredibly hard to start successful platform coops. Why not leverage the influence of @icacoop to support

... existing projects such as @Fairbnb_coop, http://Eva.coop , and @PCC_Global’s Platform Coop Development Kit to get a few international solutions off the ground. What matters more than perfect execution is action now.

Declarations are an important first step but if we don’t act now, the network effects of the tech giants will become insurmountable and the assault on workers and the environment is real; it is happening now.

The level of inaction is disheartening. The technologies I mentioned are costly. That is why international coordination of fundraising among prospective members is so crucial. There is a place for technological innovation but unity among people is a precondition.

This is where @PCC_Global sees the role of the @icacoop. It needs to act to coordinate global co-ops. No other organization has such cross-sectorial reach and credibility.

Global digital co-ops like the 8 that I mentioned require startup investments of at least $10 million each. Given the economic strength of the global co-op movement, a shared effort like this is entirely realistic.

What matters most is tangible action now.