From Benin, sister Pauline B., Contact Person for the Central African Province at the International Laboratory of Integral Ecology, writes to us. She is doing an internship at this Centre, which supports sustainable socio-economic development.

The Songhaï Center was established in 1984 in Porto Novo, Republic of Benin, by the visionary Dominican priest Godfrey Nzamujo in collaboration with a group of Africans and friends of Africa. Songhaï was born out of a desire to contribute to Africa’s development by creating a lasting and sustainable socioeconomic life.

Nearing its fortieth anniversary, the Songhaï Center currently covers more than 22 hectares and has established a positive reputation beyond the borders of Africa. Agriculture, animal husbandry, and fish farming are the main activities at the Songhai Center.

Each year, 320 trainees and 550 African nationals are hosted for training in agricultural management and new farming techniques. In doing so, it contributes to the development of environmentally sustainable attitudes and skills of individuals and local communities.

The overriding rule is the promotion of integrated agriculture, also called organic farming, that respects nature and does not use chemicals. The production model adopted is known as “ZERI” (Zero Emission Research Initiative), or zero-waste production. At the Songhaï Center, all residues from the primary sector are repurposed: farming waste is transformed into compost for land fertilization, fish farming water is reused for irrigation, and plant and animal remains are utilized for bioenergy production.

The ultimate goal is the creation of green rural towns that ensure long-term socioeconomic sustainability. Such initiatives aim to slow the rural exodus and show that a different, more environmentally friendly development model is not only possible but achievable.

Sister Pauline is one of this year’s trainees and is very enthusiastic about the experience she is having, for example, of fertilising papaya with a compost prepared from food waste.

It is about ‘taking charge of the care of the Common House so that it can take care of us’.