Sustainocracy, the new democracy

2025 was again a unique year, this time with the desire to expand the practical approach to sustainable human development (Sustainocracy) on a worldwide scale. This has three important motives:

• I will not live for ever to remain the spearhead of this societal approach. If I do not manage to extend the approach with the involvement of other people and institutions, I will remain the weakest shackle of it all, with the risk that all the efforts over the last 30 years disappear eventually into history.
• The current human world is in a dual state. On the one hand there are the powerful forces of political economic destruction, investing much more in warfare and global instability than in human resilience. On the other hand there are increasingly initiatives that work on humanism, sustainability, integration with nature, etc. Sustainocracy represents an overarching Existential Ethical approach that can benefit all if we respect life, not death, replacing warfare and conflicts by cooperation, diplomacy and a common existential mission.
• Every year, since my breaking with the financial ratrace (1996) at executive level, the development and coaching of “entrepreneurship in the 21st century” (2005) serving humankind and the planet instead of taking abuse, and the application of the same “working with humankind and the planet for our sustainable existence (2009)” at societal level with Sustainocracy, I have added layers of expertise though trial and error, persistance and patience.

Overall we see that humankind and its “systems” have nested themselves in short term competitive materialism, conflict and survival. This is very difficult to transform into long lasting, durable wellness through shared responsibility. This is not because people or institutions in majority do not want this durable wellness. They and we all do. The problem is that the current functional reality became a way of life that got so operationally intertwined that it seems nearly impossible for people and institutions to even consider the possibility of another approach.

Sustainocracy needs to be experienced:

Those who have experienced the warmth and constructiveness of a sustainocratic core human values driven process, not only appreciate it, they also go through various mental challenges:

• they like the interdisciplinary way of shared responsibility but experience difficulties in making best use of it.
• they fall in the routine of wanting to bureaucrize it, taking ownership instead of making effective use.
• they have to learn to let go of control and take joy in participation and co-ownership of the process.
• they need to learn how to trust by engaging in the development of the end result not just the delivery of some expertise.
• they need to make organizational changes in order to be able to develop interdisciplinary engagement and crossovers without budgetary blockage or impediments.
• overall, the level of co-creation breaks with many old habbits and “comforts” that are replaced by new ones in the field of togetherness.

How can I make people and institutions in the world experience this meaningful positiveness? It is not a one to one experience of trade. It is a collective commitment, with all local people and institutions together, not once but continuously. But someone needs to bring together and monitor the contextual approach. In my own region in the Netherlands I could be there to be the linking pin between all the local leadership archetypes and bring them together. But elsewhere other people need to stand up to do that. It is not a salarized position, so no one can just be hired to do this. It is a personal mission.

Signing the new Aireas (air quality and health) agreement for healthy regional development and measurement for another five years with the local province, 21 municipalities, environmental services, health authorities, technological and knowledge institutes, citizen groups, etc.

Trying to involve education:

It is not just education that I wanted to engage. I am looking for the younger generations and the possibility to take them on the journey of shared responsibility. I went to Lisbon (Portugal) and Osaka (Japan) to extend the positive invitation to the world of education. Although the formal response was minimal, mainly due to the old positioning of education in the world of job preparation rather than existentialism, there is a tendency noticible, also in this world. The problem is of course that the world of education is not independent. It is managed by the political financial doctrine. “Are we part of the problem?” key note speakers suggested. In 2024 the professor in Budapest already stated that “Education failed the last 50 years”. But this self reflection does not mean self correction if the ones who pay keep determining the deliverables, not common sense or important global issues.

Photo 1: Portugal. Photo 2: Japan. Photo 3: in action

I have been focusing on inviting the world of education rather than establishing a new platform by myself. This to avoid competition while trying to create an evolutionary step together, not just a new method and option. In view of the need to get people to experience Sustainocracy, in order to build confidence and trust, I may have to review my approach, the same way I did in 2010 when addressing society as a whole. Instead of explaining it, I invited everyone to participate by taking responsibility myself.

Community of social entrepreneurship

In 2020 the sustainocratic movement for social engagement and innovation, COS3i, was interrupted by the Covid measures. In 2025 a new impuls was created by creating the Healthy City challenge, the related “explore healthy Eindhoven” site, etc. Gradually a community spirit started to emerge again that will hopefully build up in 2026. The reason to get all these initiatives united is to create a unified platform of interaction, both with society and institutions like government, business and science. If they are not united the nobel initiatives are like lose sand, fragmented, fragile and invisible. Meanwhile the local municipality has announced its own health approach. The COS3i community can complement this very well, if the municipality shows willingness to work together.

After many articles, now planning a book release

In 2025 the scholarly article related to Extential Ethics was published through the Corvenius University of Budapest. It was my third international article through the Euro-SPES academic community, and my 19th international article in general. There have also been two internationally released books on the Aireas cooperative. But there has not been a book yet on Sustainocracy in general. It has been written, summarizing my 30 years of working on the core human values and sustainable human development. Hopefully it gets accepted by the publisher that contacted me.

By: Jonathan Ngangura – Nakivale – Uganda (orginal article)

When Jonathan Ngangura first stepped into Nakivale, Uganda’s oldest and one of Africa’s largest refugee settlements, he didn’t just see the challenges—he saw fertile ground for innovation. With thousands of refugees from over a dozen countries living alongside host communities, Jonathan recognized that food security, livelihoods, and environmental resilience could be transformed if technology and community spirit worked hand in hand.

That seed of inspiration grew into the idea of the Nakivale Harvest Hub—a living model of AgriTech culture built on sustainocratic principles: shared responsibility, inclusivity, and co-creation for sustainable well-being.

The Vision: A Community that Farms Smarter, Together

Nakivale Harvest Hub isn’t just about growing crops—it’s about growing opportunity. It’s a place where refugees and locals can collaborate, innovate, and thrive through the power of digital agriculture and shared governance.

Core Pillars of the Hub:

1. Digital Agriculture Imagine farmers using mobile apps to check weather forecasts, drones to monitor crops, and IoT soil sensors that send instant alerts when watering is needed. The hub’s tech infrastructure connects farmers to markets, reduces waste, and increases yields.
2. Innovation Incubator A creative lab where refugees and host community members prototype new AgriTech solutions—from solar-powered irrigation pumps to compost-based biofertilizers. Young innovators can test their ideas, pitch to partners, and turn prototypes into businesses.
3. Farmer Training & Skill Building The hub offers training in both modern agricultural practices and business acumen—teaching farmers how to manage finances, market produce, and adopt sustainable methods that protect soil and water resources.
4. Community Engagement & Co-Creation Workshops, hackathons, and open-air forums bring people together to solve problems collectively. These aren’t just meetings—they’re collaborative design sessions where everyone, from youth to elders, has a voice.
5. Data-Driven Decision Making A shared data platform tracks crop health, production levels, and environmental conditions, allowing communities and policymakers to make informed choices about resources and investments.

The Sustainocratic Foundation

Jonathan’s vision is anchored in sustainocracy—a governance model where citizens, institutions, and businesses collaborate as equals to create value for shared well-being.

At Nakivale Harvest Hub, this means:

• Inclusivity – Refugees and host communities have equal access to resources, training, and markets.
• Participatory Governance – Decisions about farming priorities, resource allocation, and innovation projects are made with the community, not for them.
• Sustainability – Every innovation is evaluated for its environmental and social impact before being scaled.

Why This Matters

By blending technology, culture, and shared responsibility, Nakivale Harvest Hub aims to:

• Boost agricultural productivity and resilience to climate change.
• Create new livelihoods and reduce dependency on aid.
• Strengthen social cohesion between refugees and host communities.
• Spark innovation that can be replicated in other settlements and rural regions.

A Model for the Future

Jonathan doesn’t just want Nakivale Harvest Hub to succeed locally—he wants it to be a blueprint for other communities worldwide facing food security and displacement challenges. In his own words:

“This is not charity. This is empowerment. When we give people the tools, skills, and voice to shape their own future, they build solutions we could never imagine alone.”

The dream is clear: a thriving AgriTech culture where every harvest is not just food—but hope, dignity, and shared prosperity.

If you’re inspired by Jonathan’s vision, imagine what could happen if more communities embraced technology, sustainability, and cooperation as core values. The next agricultural revolution might not start in a high-tech lab—it might start in a place like Nakivale.

I can also prepare an impact roadmap showing how the hub could grow from pilot phase to regional model, with measurable milestones and stakeholder roles. That would make the concept more practical and attractive for partners or funders.

Future plans for Nakivale Harvest Hub include turning crop waste into biomass energy, producing organic fertilizers, and powering irrigation with renewables. This circular system reuses every byproduct, cuts deforestation, and boosts soil health—creating food, clean energy, and income, while making Nakivale a model for sustainable refugee and host community resilience.

Note: to fund the projects in Nakivale a combination is developed through partnerships with the local government, the development of certain innovative business generators for self funding, subsidies from international organizations and private sponsoring through donations. STIR tries to support the constant ad hoc demands due to poverty, climate related problems, sickness outbreaks, accidents, care and educational needs, etc. with the provision and development of a certain structural approach, deployment of a basic infrastructure and multidisciplinary priority driven communities.