Through misappropriation, control, ecocide, and inequity, the global extractivist economics-law-governance-education (ELGE) system^[1] severs individuals and communities from their own ecoselves (see Box 1), leading to severe ill-being for humans, other living beings, and the planet.^[2]

How do we counter this system?

We must (re-)establish ecological web (ecoweb)-rooted self-reliance of communities (see Box 2). FiveBecomings (Pañchabhūmi)^[4] projects have this aim, in part, through reversing the enclosure of the commons (or samudāyikā)^[5].

A rural FiveBecomings project is a regeneratively designed multi-sector commons to which people from 10-30 villages within a 5-10 km radius (the Community (or samudāy)), i.e., a cluster of villages, come to learn and work together for their own benefit and through the Community’s own self-reliant efforts (re)establish ecoweb-rooted wellbeing in all aspects:

• livelihood & food security (earth): innovate local ecology-rooted self-reliant food-/non-food livelihoods 
• equitable governance & resource access (water): create/participate in novel inclusive (gender, caste/class, nonconformity) ecology-rooted systems of trade, governance, education, and resource access
• energy & waste (fire): build and use regenerative ecology-rooted energy and waste processing facilities
• ecological wellbeing & health (air): restore biodiverse native ecology and plant-based healthcare
• creativity & personal evolution (ākāś): engage in ecology-rooted creative expression and personal evolution activities strengthening self-confidence and improving wellbeing and quality of life 

The overall conceptualization of FiveBecomings projects is rooted in the FiveBecomings framework^[6], which draws — among other first principles — on the Five Great Evolvers: Earth (differentiation), Water (Cohesion), Fire (transformation), Air (agitation), and Ākāś (potential).  Each FiveBecomings project is centered on a 20 to 50-acre site of land — preferably degraded and/or deforested land — that is transformed into a regeneratively designed five-sector commons in which all members of the Community can co-learn, co-work, and collaboratively innovate. Each of the five sectors of the FiveBecomings commons is dedicated to a specific set of ecoweb-rooted activities undertaken collaboratively by members of the multi-village Community for their own benefit. All the livelihood, economic, cultural, educational, health, ecological, decision-making, and other activities that the Community need to be self-reliant, healthy, and thriving will be undertaken collaboratively on the FiveBecomings commons.^[4]

While the general principles guiding the overall design of a FiveBecomings commons remain the same, the specific implementation depends on many factors, including the ecological context, topography and geometry of the land, and where the Community’s villages are located with respect to the site. The figure above illustrates a design that is for a parcel of contiguous land that is rectangular in shape and where the water source is located to the north of the site.

[1] K. Mitra, LivingConfluence: Community Wellbeing-Rooted Economics, Law, Governance, and Education (ELGE), Ecosymbionts all Regenerate Together (EaRTh): DOI-EaRTh012025-002 (10 Jan., 2025) (https://ecosymbiont.org/earth/content/systems/extractivism-alternatives/livingconfluence-community-wellbeing-rooted-economics-law-governance-and-education-elge).

[2] K. Mitra, 424 Years and Counting: the Global System of Corporate Extractivism (1 of 3), Ecosymbionts all Regenerate Together (EaRTh): DOI-EaRTh092024-010a (24 Sep., 2024) (https://ecosymbiont.org/earth/content/systems/systems-reform/424-years-and-counting-the-global-system-of-corporate-extractivism-1-of-3).

[3] K. Mitra, Ecoself: Restoring Our Wellbeing Rooted in Nature and Humanity, Ecosymbionts all Regenerate Together (EaRTh): DOI-EaRTh122024-001 (12 Dec., 2024) (https://ecosymbiont.org/earth/content/systems/ecoweb-rooted-framing/ecoself-restoring-our-wellbeing-rooted-in-nature-and-humanity).

[4] K. Mitra, Reestablishing Integrated Self-Reliant Wellbeing for Communities: Implementing FiveBecomings, Ecosymbionts all Regenerate Together (EaRTh): DOI-EaRTh012025-001 (9 Jan., 2025) (https://ecosymbiont.org/earth/content/regenerative/human-ecoweb-integration/reestablishing-integrated-self-reliant-wellbeing-for-communities-implementing-fivebecomings).

[5] K. Mitra, Reversing the Enclosure of the Commons through FiveBecomings, Ecosymbionts all Regenerate Together (EaRTh): DOI-EaRTh042025-042 (13 Apr., 2025) (https://ecosymbiont.org/earth/content/systems/extractivism-alternatives/reversing-the-enclosure-of-the-commons-through-fivebecomings).

[6] K. Mitra, FiveBecomings: A Reimagined Ancient Indigenous Framework for Ecoself-Rooted Wellbeing, Ecosymbionts all Regenerate Together (EaRTh): DOI-EaRTh122024-004 (15 Dec., 2024) (https://ecosymbiont.org/earth/content/systems/ecoweb-rooted-framing/fivebecomings-a-reimagined-ancient-indigenous-framework-for-ecoself-rooted-wellbeing).