Temporada 3 · Espasmos del Fin · JVV-T3-17
Fungi-State: the sovereignty of mould
I The kingdom that germinates in the cracks
Conventional political systems rest on hierarchical orders (trunks, branches).
Fungi, by contrast, weave mycelia — threads that infiltrate soil, walls, corpses and microchips.
In the damp neighbourhoods of Chiapas, abandoned hangars in Detroit and logistics tunnels under Shenzhen, there have appeared republics of mould: human collectives that delegate logistics, property and even voting to bio-instrumented networks of Pleurotus, Aspergillus and Trichoderma .
“The homeland is no longer soil: it is the layer of spores that embraces the unsalvageable.”
II Mycelial constitutional engineering
| Living-tech component | State function | Mode of operation |
|---|---|---|
| Sensor mycelium (Pleurotus with graphene) | Cadastre of humidity, nutrients → the citizens' “census” | Electrical signal 0.3 mV/mm of hypha |
| MycoChain bio-ledger | Registry of transactions, votes, deeds | Capacitive pulses → LoRa WAN gateway |
| Spore-currency | Unit of value (germination = minting) | Every batch of organic waste deposited creates 1 SporeToken |
| Fruiting bodies | An ephemeral legislative chamber | The assembly meets when the mushrooms sprout; it lasts 3 days → literal dissolution |
(A conceptual cartography; no reproducible protocol.)
III Pilot cases (2025–26)
| Micronation | Surface | Key output | Anecdote |
|---|---|---|---|
| SetaBario (Mexico) | 1 km² of a former barite mine | 4 t/month of fungal protein, carbon credits | Taxes paid in bales of straw → |
| SporeTokens | |||
| Detroit Mycopolis | 3 ruined factories | Cellulase enzymes for bioplastic | No sheriff goes in: “mycotic jurisdiction” |
| Fungus-Dong (PRC) | 2 levels of logistics tunnel | A humidity sensor warns about electrical currents | The local government debates the legality; the mycelium has already sold its 1st IOF (Initial Offering Fungal) |
IV Theorem of mycotic sovereignty
A Fungi-State grows as long as it captures nutrients (waste, humidity) faster than human interventions or biological decay.
If the ratio falls < 1 for three lunar cycles, the constitution rots — and the property deeds with it.
V Dangers of the sovereign hypha
- Opportunistic pathogen — Aspergillus fumigatus slips in → respiratory crisis.
- Crypto-mould — Ponzi schemes sell SporeTokens with no organic ballast.
- Militarised mycelium — Strains release mycotoxins at “invaders” (a biological terrorism stamp).
- Hijacking urban water — The networks absorb water from neighbouring foundations → subsidence.
VI Bio-civic counterweights
| Tool | Description | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency antifungal | A mist of tea-tree oil deactivates the network | It kills the econo-social infrastructure |
| Spore audit | PCR looks for toxin genes every 30 days | Reagent costs, logistical delay |
| Water trust | A maximum quota of absorbable water; fines in SporeTokens | It can hold back the protein yield |
| Substrate rotation | Moves part of the mycelium to a new batch → avoids a “mould king” | Risk of losing the ownership trail |
VII Daily mycopolitical liturgy (safe)
- Put your coffee grounds on a block of cardboard.
- If mycelium grows, note the date in a notebook.
- When it fruits, share the mushrooms among 3 people: a symbolic vote of surplus.
- Notice how material property (the mushroom) comes out of rubbish + organisation.
VIII Coda
“When everything rusts, the mould legislates.”
The Fungi-State is no eco-punk fantasy: it is a radical essay on possession, metabolism and law.
It could feed the peripheries, recycle the rubbish-city and fracture the mineral notion of sovereignty…
…or turn into a spored fiefdom that devours water, walls and lungs.
Choosing which mycelium we let grow is the new accelerationist civic act.