The pandemic shd be a case for developmental planning to be guided a bit more by self-sustainability rather than naive financial optimization. Hyperoptimized systems yield more profits but cant absorb shocks well.
The current experience shd push tech like 3D printers that can create diverse products from the same setup. They wont be the most efficient specific product line adapted processes, but more adaptable and flexible.
I think the drive for new tech development will be reusability, rapid adaptability to changing products without change of hardware, and supply chains that dont break down much under shocks. This has implications for market. It may mean simplification of product lines.
Both enforced mergers/fusions due to financial pressures and market bottlenecks - as well as affected consumer capacity to buy. On supply chain, one immediate route to robustness will be to reduce dependence on long distance sources and nodes.
"Buy local" wd be a necessity rather than an ad campaign. Obstacle is land usage laws and usage tuned to large industrial interests - but turning around the situation to more dispersed/decentralized agro-industrial local sustainability will be a necessity not an idle wish.
a lot of firms/companies/especially manufacturing capacity is being and will be bought up by predatory interests - which is a profound danger. Governments have to step in to prevent such buy-ups as it has national economic and physical security dangers.
The time to intervene to protect SME sectors& micro scale units, both in agri and industry, is right now -while in the middle of the pandemic, not later. The key to robustness will be preserving the SME and micro, not doing it means giving immense power to those who shdnt get it.
I know from experience "comfort" addled popns are unlikely to change, but hopefully more ppl take to farming, and becoming entrepreneurs -and land and seed capital made available: small is good, small things add up to big things which are difficult to destroy.
