**6. Core theories supporting Songhai**

The rationale and justification for the Songhai approach center around three strategic core theories. The *first* strategic core theory postulates that a *new human resource base* is the key to addressing the development and growth challenges of the present day. The *second* strategic core theory, in the current post-modern science era, argues a *paradigm shift toward producing more and better with less* through an agroecological framework that efficiently and productively harnesses biological capital of living systems. The *third* strategic core theory is that the entire world has to move toward *true sustainable development* [17, 18].

The justification for the first strategic core theory is embedded in what has transpired in Africa in the past 50 years since many countries became independent of their former colonial masters. The world has progressed from where the socioeconomic health and well-being of a nation do not depend fundamentally or

**77**

*The Songhai Agroecological Sustainable Development Model: Synergy, Symbiosis, Collaboration…*

The Songhai metric for the performance of any of these human capital development programs is grounded in the functional value of the knowledge, skill, creativity, and humanity that is engendered through investment in such programs. This type of investment is what will provide engaged, constructive citizens of tomorrow who will be the future innovators and entrepreneurs bringing value to their

The justification for the second strategic core theory locates us in a shifting paradigm where we have to produce better and more with less through an agroecological approach that efficiently harnesses and grows biological capital of living systems. Understanding the interconnected ecosystem that we inhabit is a major step in this new direction, where we will need to determine how to go about building the appropriate institutional framework and cultivate and grow the human resource base that will be empowered and capacitated to harness new opportunities that will be revealed as the new paradigm dawns on us. Framed another way, the challenge that a Songhai Center faces is how to align with the emerging world view and create an enabling institutional framework that will underpin the production of a critical mass of new human resources equipped with the right vision, values, and operational capacities to help African communities and nations navigate through

The paradigm shift requires that we have to change our present-day attitudes and logic. What is required is the development of new mental and operational frameworks based on what we know about how the world works. Bringing all this together, the new paradigm that is emerging has a completely new technological, organizational, and socioeconomic orientation, challenging us to learn from the basic principles of the working of our planet and human history. The new paradigm must be appropriated and deployed by a critical mass of people before we begin to see the design, creation, and invention of new organizations, industries, and economic activities that will contribute to solving our present-day problems [15]. Ultimately, the new paradigm calls for increasing the production capacity of Africans through the leapfrogging approach, which is to create innovation that jumps over older technologies and deploy and implement new and appropriate technologies that result in sustainability. That points to the third core foundational

theory of the Songhai Center, which is sustainable development.

It has long been recognized that the present-day modern agro-industrial approach to food production characterized by the intensive use of fertilizers and pesticides, as well as the indiscriminate use of water, is not sustainable. It is true that this approach has resulted in tremendous grain and food surpluses in many regions, resulting in increases in per capita food consumption. This, however, has come about with severe and unsustainable costs: the depletion of soil fertility over time

principally on its natural resources or geographical position. The foundations of national well-being, economic prosperity, energy sufficiency, industrial capacity, public health, security, and environmental quality are all now knowledge based. Thus, knowledge and technical capacity are the principal social and capital resources in the world; nevertheless, these forms of capital are extremely unevenly distributed across the world. Sub-Saharan Africa especially suffers from a lack of access as well as availability of primary and secondary education, resulting in populations and workforces that are insufficiently capacitated in terms of education. The Songhai programs are predicated on the received understanding and wisdom that people with more knowledge and more access to knowledge and technical competence have more opportunity and are more successful than people with less knowledge and technological competence. Given this understanding, it is clear that any significant improvement on the efforts of African youth and their productivity will depend critically on the level and quality of investment in human capital development.

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87929*

communities.

this difficult and challenging period.

#### *The Songhai Agroecological Sustainable Development Model: Synergy, Symbiosis, Collaboration… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87929*

principally on its natural resources or geographical position. The foundations of national well-being, economic prosperity, energy sufficiency, industrial capacity, public health, security, and environmental quality are all now knowledge based. Thus, knowledge and technical capacity are the principal social and capital resources in the world; nevertheless, these forms of capital are extremely unevenly distributed across the world. Sub-Saharan Africa especially suffers from a lack of access as well as availability of primary and secondary education, resulting in populations and workforces that are insufficiently capacitated in terms of education. The Songhai programs are predicated on the received understanding and wisdom that people with more knowledge and more access to knowledge and technical competence have more opportunity and are more successful than people with less knowledge and technological competence. Given this understanding, it is clear that any significant improvement on the efforts of African youth and their productivity will depend critically on the level and quality of investment in human capital development.

The Songhai metric for the performance of any of these human capital development programs is grounded in the functional value of the knowledge, skill, creativity, and humanity that is engendered through investment in such programs. This type of investment is what will provide engaged, constructive citizens of tomorrow who will be the future innovators and entrepreneurs bringing value to their communities.

The justification for the second strategic core theory locates us in a shifting paradigm where we have to produce better and more with less through an agroecological approach that efficiently harnesses and grows biological capital of living systems. Understanding the interconnected ecosystem that we inhabit is a major step in this new direction, where we will need to determine how to go about building the appropriate institutional framework and cultivate and grow the human resource base that will be empowered and capacitated to harness new opportunities that will be revealed as the new paradigm dawns on us. Framed another way, the challenge that a Songhai Center faces is how to align with the emerging world view and create an enabling institutional framework that will underpin the production of a critical mass of new human resources equipped with the right vision, values, and operational capacities to help African communities and nations navigate through this difficult and challenging period.

The paradigm shift requires that we have to change our present-day attitudes and logic. What is required is the development of new mental and operational frameworks based on what we know about how the world works. Bringing all this together, the new paradigm that is emerging has a completely new technological, organizational, and socioeconomic orientation, challenging us to learn from the basic principles of the working of our planet and human history. The new paradigm must be appropriated and deployed by a critical mass of people before we begin to see the design, creation, and invention of new organizations, industries, and economic activities that will contribute to solving our present-day problems [15].

Ultimately, the new paradigm calls for increasing the production capacity of Africans through the leapfrogging approach, which is to create innovation that jumps over older technologies and deploy and implement new and appropriate technologies that result in sustainability. That points to the third core foundational theory of the Songhai Center, which is sustainable development.

It has long been recognized that the present-day modern agro-industrial approach to food production characterized by the intensive use of fertilizers and pesticides, as well as the indiscriminate use of water, is not sustainable. It is true that this approach has resulted in tremendous grain and food surpluses in many regions, resulting in increases in per capita food consumption. This, however, has come about with severe and unsustainable costs: the depletion of soil fertility over time

*Regional Development in Africa*

and systemic manner [15, 16].

through initiative and cooperation.

**6. Core theories supporting Songhai**

to move toward *true sustainable development* [17, 18].

and patterns that are aligned with the new world view are elaborated, and these are developed and contextualized in collaboration with research institutions and universities. Third, the Center is an industrial park and production center, where the ideas, techniques, and organizational tools developed as part of the education and research in progress are turned into small enterprises and launched in an integrated

Fourth, it is also an incubation and training center for human resource develop-

ment. Here new competencies are developed, while new visions are harnessed and new techniques and methods are developed and deployed within the technology parks. The target is the establishment of productive, effective, and efficient enterprises. The community, participating in the study, design, development, and production activities, always facilitated by mentor-practitioners, builds capacity and enhances technical, organizational, and managerial competencies, resulting in the creation of a functional entrepreneurial workforce able to add value. Since their inception, large numbers of youth have sought enrollment in the various Songhai Centers, a sign that youth are excited and attracted to new innovative agricultural initiatives that they see as bringing income and value into their and their family's lives. Fifth and finally, the Songhai Centers are also service centers, where graduates from the various training and capacity building programs are leveraged with critical services such as marketing, input procurement, hospitality services, networking, financial and loan services, as well as advisory and advocacy services and programs that create the synergies which enable the program's graduates to create synergies

**5. Songhai rural growth initiative: sustainable development**

The Songhai rural growth initiative is centered in the "mother" enterprise that is an ecosystem based in the community that functions as an enterprise development, incubation, and extension space, incorporating agribusinesses, an industrial park, and a technology park with innovation and research and development spaces. Based in the community, it draws on families and the community production zone and builds capacity in terms of youth entrepreneurial zones, bringing the two together. Programs leverage the five components of the center to serve as a networking and extension space for farmers who can constantly improve and update their knowledge and skills to key into regional markets, capture export opportunities, and harness the reinvestment in agriculture while safeguarding national autonomy in development.

The rationale and justification for the Songhai approach center around three strategic core theories. The *first* strategic core theory postulates that a *new human resource base* is the key to addressing the development and growth challenges of the present day. The *second* strategic core theory, in the current post-modern science era, argues a *paradigm shift toward producing more and better with less* through an agroecological framework that efficiently and productively harnesses biological capital of living systems. The *third* strategic core theory is that the entire world has

The justification for the first strategic core theory is embedded in what has transpired in Africa in the past 50 years since many countries became independent of their former colonial masters. The world has progressed from where the socioeconomic health and well-being of a nation do not depend fundamentally or

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and the increase in greenhouse gas emissions as well as increased water and soil pollution. More importantly, the current agro-industrial approach has not significantly reduced the numbers of chronically hungry, which is estimated at over 850 million.

Thus, what is needed is a new approach, one that the Songhai Centers have been developing and improving over the past 30 years, since the first Songhai site was established on 1 hectare of poor agricultural land in Benin. The approach must be predicated upon the holistic appreciation of the ecosystem we inhabit and take an agroecological stance that appropriately values biological and environmental capitals. This new developmental trajectory is centered around harnessing environmental capitals to produce more and better quality food with less inputs for a growing population and to do this not only for protecting, but enhancing, environmental quality and capital. This Songhai approach of regenerative agriculture promotes the real "greening" of agriculture because it is an ecosystem's approach that draws upon nature's contributions to crop and animal growth in all its multifaceted and interlinked mechanisms, including soil organic matter, soil microorganisms, rainfall, pollination, biocontrol, integrated pest management, and eco-services including water, shade, and landscape. Hence, the space-time can be filled up quicker and more efficiently if we harness life cycles of different sizes that occupy different space-times, which in essence means we must mimic the biodiverse ecosystems in nature and be able to build into our interconnected efforts the reciprocal, the symbiotic, the complementarity, and the supplementarity that will result in the required synergies to go forward.
