Page 81 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 6

MY AFRIKA

extracts from the earth all the gifts of economically viable.
nature without paying the replacement According to Professor Nabudere, agricology goes beyond the
costs of its exploits. After all, it is the one-dimensional view of agro-ecosystems by taking into ac-
culture of irresponsibility being perpet- count the genetics, agronomy, edaphology, and so on, in order
uated by the capitalist system which to embrace an understanding of ecological and social levels
the world cannot maintain that has led of co-evolution. More importantly, agricology emphasizes the
us to this current crisis. interrelatedness of all agro-ecosystems and the complex dy-
Historically, a number of research- namics of ecological processes that are particularly useful at
ers have pointed out that it took only this moment in time for us to create a new global ethical sys-
twenty years (from 1980 to 2000) for tem.
humanity to move from a land-based For us as Africans, the new ethical system will have to come
organic ever-renewing economy to an from the highest spiritual foundations of our ancient heritage
extractive industrial non-renewable which has always contained ethical systems guiding the rela-
economy - the so called ‘industrial tionship between human beings and other forms of existence
complex’ of petroleum, steel, lumber- right from the Cradle of Humanity right here in Africa.
ing, pharmaceutical corporations and Conclusively, I am inclined to agree with the imminent Sene-
public utilities that have all been re- galese scholar Cheikh Anta Diop, who was convinced that the
sponsible for this horrible transforma- best way to save the Western man from his pessimism and in-
tion. As Nabudere, one of the foremost dividualistic solitude (that has currently been universalized as
proponents of Agricology puts it, the ‘social distancing’ in this age of Corona) rest in Africa’s social
industrial establishment assumed the fabric.
mandate to take over the resources of In short, the revival and restoration of organic relationship be-
the entire globe to exploit for private tween the human beings, the plant world and animal world
profit without the consent of all hu- which sustains all of them can only be found in indigenous
manity. Today, industrial exploitations knowledge systems and its subsequent cultural and spiritual
continue to cause immense global wisdom.
devastation, creating extensive tox- In my view, this is the only way that will move us away from the
icity as well as leaving vast amounts current economic systems based on capitalism to new eco-
of non-disposable waste materials for nomic systems that are based on a spiritual system that en-
poorer populations in places like Africa ables us to balance the economic needs of humanity and the
to deal with. animal world with those of nature on which we depend.

Agricology
It is against this background that prin-
ciples of agricology emerge. These
principles are concerned with the
search to reinstate a more ecological
and natural rationale into agricultural
production on the basis of the resil-
ient practices that have been passed
on from ancient times. This is be-
cause for a long time, agriculturalists
and developers have disregarded a
deeper understanding of the nature of
agro-ecosystems and the principles
by which they function. Given this lim-
itation, agro-ecology has emerged as
the discipline that provides the basic
ecological principles for how to study,
design and manage agro-ecosystems Ronald Elly Wanda is a transdisciplinary
that are both productive and natural
resource conserving, and that are also fellow and executive director of Grundtvig
culturally sensitive, socially just and Africa House based in Nairobi, Kenya.
ronald2wanda@yahoo.co.uk

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