AOFS is designed as an open, community-driven standard for smallholder farms, NGOs, and local agricultural projects. To maximize adoption while protecting the open standard from commercial hijacking, AOFS recommends governance under a non-profit organization.

• The non-profit owns the AOFS name, logo, and certification marks.
• Official AOFS branding may only be used by implementations certified to follow the standard.
• Open licensing applies to specifications and core modules:
  • Documentation: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
    • Details & Legal Code
  • Software modules: GNU GPL v3 or similar strong copyleft licenses
  • Hardware / Controller designs: CERN Open Hardware License (OHL)

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• Steering Committee / Advisory Board oversees the standard:
  • Representatives from NGOs, universities, and community organizations
  • Approves contributions, updates, and certification rules
• Transparent and open decision-making ensures AOFS remains aligned with humanitarian and low-resource farming goals.

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• Core AOFS modules (irrigation safety, livestock, poultry) remain open, auditable, and standardized.
• Optional extensions may be added by communities or organizations, but must comply with licensing rules to remain AOFS-compatible.
• Federated controller network ensures data and operations remain local, secure, and independent of any commercial vendor.

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• Only implementations following the AOFS standard and passing audits may use:
  • AOFS logo
  • "AOFS Certified" branding
• Certification ensures community and NGO trust, even if optional proprietary extensions are added.

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• AOFS encourages adoption (embrace) and local customization (extend) while legal, governance, and licensing mechanisms prevent hijacking or closing the standard (extinguish).
• Key safeguards:
  • Strong copyleft licenses (CC BY-SA 4.0, GPL v3, OHL)
  • Controlled trademark and certification marks
  • Transparent governance through a steering committee
  • Federated, modular architecture with auditable core

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• Being a non-profit signals neutrality, encouraging adoption by:
  • NGOs
  • Local government projects
  • Community farms in low-resource regions
• Ensures AOFS remains humanitarian and accessible, rather than commercially driven.

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• Non-profit may fund operations via:
  • Grants and donations
  • Certification and training programs
  • Optional commercial extensions or services
• Core AOFS remains fully open and auditable, while funding supports community support, training, and governance.

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• AOFS as a German eingetragener Verein (e.V., registered association) can be recognized as gemeinnützig (tax-exempt / charitable) if:
  • It serves educational, scientific, or developmental purposes (e.g., training, sustainable agriculture, NGO support).
  • All funds are used exclusively for the association’s mission.
  • The statute (Satzung) explicitly forbids profit distribution to members.
• Benefits of gemeinnützig recognition:
  • Tax exemption on income used for AOFS purposes
  • Deductible donations, encouraging NGO and international support
  • Access to EU grants and public funding
  • Signals neutrality and trustworthiness for international partners
• Revenue-generating activities (certification fees, training, workshops, consulting) are allowed as long as the profits are reinvested into AOFS’s mission.
• This ensures AOFS can fund operations, hire staff, and maintain certification programs while keeping the standard fully open and community-driven.

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• AOFS under a non-profit framework ensures:
  • Legal protection of name, logo, and certification
  • Strong copyleft licensing for core modules
  • Transparent, community-driven governance
  • Federated and modular architecture for resilient, offline-first operation
  • Protection against commercial hijacking while encouraging open adoption and local extensions
  • Potential tax-exempt status to support sustainable funding and credibility