African Environmental Ethics: Keys to Sustainable Development Through Agroecological Villages

Abstract

This essay proposes African-based ethical solutions to profound human problems and a working African model to address those problems. The model promotes sustainability through advanced agroecological and information communication technologies. The essay’s first section reviews the ethical ground of that model in the work of the Senegalese scholar, Cheikh Anta Diop. The essay’s second section examines an applied African model for translating African ethical speculation into practice. Deeply immersed in European and African ethics, Godfrey Nzamujo developed the Songhaï Centers to solve the problem of rural poverty in seventeen African countries. Harnessing advanced technologies within a holistic agroecological ecosystem, Nzamujo’s villages furnish education spanning the fields of ethics, information communication technology, microbiology, international development, and mechanical, electrical, civil and biological engineering in a community-based and centered development enterprise. The essay proposes a global consortium of ecovillages based on Nzamujo’s model. The final section explores funding methods for the consortium. The conclusion contemplates a return to Africa to supplement environmental ethics that enhance life’s future on earth.

Impact of agroecological practices on farm performance in Botswana

“…Agroecological practices rely on the integration of science, and traditional and local knowledge to boost adaptive capacities and empower producers and communities (Palomo-Campesino, González, and García-Llorente, 2018; Verharen et al, 2021). The purpose of agroecology is to change the way we think about agriculture and food by addressing the fundamental causes of the industry's difficulties (Nyantakyi-Frimpong et al, 2017).…”

Exploring the relations between ethical reasoning and moral intuitions among Chinese engineering students in a course on global engineering ethics

“…Third, normative ethical theories used in engineering ethics education tend to come from the Western cultural tradition, including consequentialism, deontology, and virtue ethics. In recent years, attempts have been made to diversify the number and nature of ethical theories and traditions used in engineering and technology ethics, including ones from Asia and Africa (Verharen et al, 2021;Wong & Wang, 2021). However, this simply raises the rst two issues again, regarding the national and cultural background/destinations of students enrolled in engineering ethics courses, and which normative theories are correct/should be used in engineering ethics.…”

Assessing the Effects of a Short-Term Global Engineering Ethics Course on the Development of Engineering Students' Moral Reasoning and Dispositions [Traditional paper – research/evidence-based, DEI/research methods]

“…By contrast, particularizing approaches consist in identifying or developing different approaches to global engineering ethics education. These have consisted in the development of regional codes of ethics, as well as different regional and cultural approaches to engineering ethics, for example, African, Chinese, and Confucian approaches to engineering ethics education [20]- [24]. However, there are problems with both approaches [25]- [27].…”