v0.1

This module defines how a community MAY integrate permaculture principles and practices into an RCOS-aligned structure.

The Permaculture Module governs structure, authority, and accountability around ecological systems.
It does NOT prescribe belief systems, lifestyles, moral hierarchies, or agricultural techniques.

This module is optional and MUST NOT override RCOS Core invariants.

Purpose

To enable regenerative land use and food systems while preventing:

• informal land ownership through caretaking,
• hidden or coerced ecological labor,
• ideological capture of governance via “ecological correctness,”
• irreversible structural commitments disguised as sustainability.

Scope

This module applies only to:

• land use and stewardship,
• food and material production systems,
• ecological infrastructure,
• associated labor, roles, and decision authority.

It explicitly does NOT govern:

• personal dietary choices,
• spiritual or ethical belief systems,
• informal gardening or hobby activity outside governed scope.

This module does NOT:

• enforce permaculture ideology,
• define “correct” ecological methods,
• grant moral authority to ecological expertise,
• require ecological participation as identity validation.

Ecology is treated as infrastructure, not belief.

When this module is active:

• Ecological authority MUST be reviewable.
• Ecological labor MUST be legible.
• Ecological systems MUST remain exitable.
• Ecological expertise MUST NOT convert into governance power.

Failure to uphold these constraints constitutes a structural violation.

Governed Ecological Scope

The community MUST explicitly define which land and systems fall under this module.

For each governed ecological area or system, the following MUST be declared:

• classification (commons, stewarded commons, private),
• allowed and prohibited activities,
• decision authority,
• review and reclassification mechanism.

Unclassified land or systems MUST NOT be governed by this module.

Commons Protection

Land or systems classified as commons:

• MUST NOT be privatized through use, care, or investment,
• MUST NOT be controlled indefinitely by individuals or families,
• MUST have explicit exit and reassignment rules.

No amount of labor, expertise, or historical contribution grants ownership by default.

Role Definition

All ongoing ecological responsibilities MUST be assigned to explicit roles.

Each stewardship role MUST define:

• scope and limits of authority,
• decision interfaces with Layer 2 governance,
• term length and review cadence,
• handover and succession process,
• failure and removal conditions.

No ecological responsibility MAY exist outside a role.

Anti-Capture Constraint

A stewardship role:

• MUST NOT control both ecological systems AND governance authority,
• MUST NOT accumulate unreviewed scope,
• MUST NOT become irreplaceable through undocumented knowledge.

Violation triggers mandatory review.

Authority Mapping

Ecological decisions MUST be mapped to RCOS decision types:

• operational (day-to-day),
• policy (rules and constraints),
• constitutional (scope, commons boundaries).

Expertise MAY inform decisions but MUST NOT override:

• decision thresholds,
• facilitation rules,
• review and appeal processes.

Ecological expertise confers input, not authority.

Contribution Recognition

Ecological labor MUST be explicitly recognized.

The community SHOULD define:

• what counts as ecological work,
• how intensity, seasonality, and care labor are recorded,
• how contribution relates (or does not relate) to access and benefits.

Invisible ecological labor is treated as a structural defect.

Outsourcing & Substitution

If ecological labor may be outsourced:

• equivalence rules MUST be explicit,
• financial substitution MUST NOT bypass participation requirements unless explicitly allowed,
• outsourcing MUST NOT create dependency on capital over contribution.

The module SHOULD define:

• yield ownership and allocation rules,
• access priorities (if any),
• surplus handling and disposal.

Yield access MUST NOT silently replace membership or contribution obligations.

Food systems MUST NOT be used as leverage over participation or dissent.

Ecological infrastructure MUST have:

• explicit ownership classification,
• maintenance responsibility,
• funding and depreciation rules,
• decommissioning or transfer conditions.

Private investment into commons infrastructure MUST NOT grant control rights unless explicitly authorized.

Ecological conflicts MUST use Layer 4 processes.

The community SHOULD distinguish between:

• method disagreement,
• stewardship failure,
• boundary or authority violation,
• ecological harm requiring repair.

Repair obligations MUST be defined in advance and MUST be proportional.

When adopted, the following artifacts are RECOMMENDED:

• Land & Ecology Scope Definition
• Land Use Map and Classification
• Stewardship Role Registry
• Ecological Contribution Framework
• Yield Allocation Rules
• Ecological Infrastructure Registry

Artifacts MUST be versioned and reviewable.

This module is designed to resist:

• land capture through “those who care most decide,”
• burnout via invisible care work,
• ecological ideology becoming coercive,
• expert dominance replacing governance,
• irreversible land commitments without exit.

If this module is modified or removed:

• stewardship roles MUST unwind cleanly,
• ecological authority MUST revert to core governance,
• no permanent control claims MAY persist.

Ecological systems MAY continue. Ecological power MUST NOT.

This module:

• MUST respect Layer 0 scope and invariants,
• MUST operate through Layer 2 governance,
• MUST align with Layer 3 economic rules,
• MUST use Layer 4 conflict pathways,
• MUST be documented via Layer 5,
• MAY evolve via Layer 6 change mechanisms.

Failure of this module MUST NOT destabilize RCOS Core.

Permaculture methods are intentionally excluded.

RCOS governs: who decides, who cares, who bears cost, who benefits, and how power is bounded — not planting techniques or ecological philosophy.