SelfProduction

Self-production refers to the production of goods and services primarily for one's own use rather than for sale or trade on formal markets. It encompasses household tasks, crafts, and energy, food, or information produced for personal consumption. The concept traces to subsistence economies in which individuals or communities relied on direct production to meet basic needs, and remains relevant in modern economies through voluntary simplicity, DIY culture, and localized production.

In practice, self-production includes activities such as growing food in gardens or urban farms, sewing or repairing clothing, building or maintaining home infrastructure, and generating energy through solar panels or micro-wind, as well as creating digital content, software, or mechanical devices for personal use. The rise of the maker movement, open-source hardware, and low-cost fabrication tools has expanded capabilities for self-production beyond traditional crafts.

Potential benefits include increased resilience, reduced dependence on markets, cost savings, customization, and skill development. Challenges include time costs, effort, safety and quality considerations, regulatory constraints, and the risk of reduced efficiency compared to professional services. Self-production can coexist with market exchange, with households choosing a mix of self-produced and commercially supplied goods.

Economically, self-production does not necessarily imply autarky or neglect of trade; instead, it reflects a shift in how individuals allocate labor and resources, balancing personal utility with social and environmental goals. See also: subsistence, DIY culture, maker movement, localism, autarky.