The Himalayan Permaculture Centre (HPC) is a grass roots non-government organisation set up by trained and motivated farmers from Surkhet district in Mid-Western Nepal in 2010 to implement sustainable rural development programs in Nepal. The Farmers' Handbook HPC staff have years of experience working in remote mountainous regions leading to the development of a wide range of appropriate technologies and approaches aimed at increasing domestic farm productivity while reducing costs. Concrete and positive outcomes, such as a measured increase in crop production, vegetable consumption, and reduction in firewood use have been demonstrated. These techniques are published in the “Farmers’ Handbook” which is also used for practical literacy education. It was published in the Nepali language by co-creators Chris Evans and Jakob Jespersen in 2001 (7,500 copies) with reprints in 2012 and 2018 (1,500 copies respectively). In 2002 the handbook was translated into English and in 2009 made available as free PDF downloads . The handbook is 50 chapters in 5 volumes – a total of 792 pages, including 170 pages of colour photos and illustrations. Above: Farmers are taught how to make a hot bed that protects seedlings BACKGROUND In Nepal, According to a Food Security Assessment carried out by the FAO , agriculture provides livelihoods for more than 80% of the population and accounts for some 40% of its Gross Domestic Product. Rising population and inappropriate foreign aid programmes, which often try to replace traditional practices, have combined to undermine the sustainability of traditional agriculture. The result is a disempowered people with unequal access to basic needs, struggling to grow enough food to last the year despite working all hours. The proportion of undernourished population is estimated at 40.7%, in the Terai where on average 17.7% of children under five suffer acute malnutrition. These communities can be seen as "marginal”, lacking access to key resources such as education, health care, food security and credit. At the same time the physical areas where they live can also be described as being marginal due to the high altitude combined with poor infrastructure of roads, power and communications. These are the people and places where HPC has prioritised its work, where small inputs of appropriate technology and appropriate education can make huge differences. Subsistence agricultural practices have developed by HPC to be finely in tune with local climate, landscape and people's needs. HPC practices are intimately interwoven with the forest and other natural resources to provide basic needs of food, fuel, fodder, timber and medicines. HPC has 178 demonstration farmers in 32 villages, known as “Barefoot Consultants” to easily disseminate working agricultural processes. HPC work has resulted in 387 kitchen gardens, planting over 51,000 fruit trees and planting over 50,000 multi-purpose trees and shrubs in agroforestry plots as well as the development of 726 smokeless stoves. Furthermore, 81 farmers have implemented SRI, (System of Rice Intensification.) This method of rice farming aims to increase yield of crop while reducing both labour and water use. The Farmers Handbook has helped in the training of over 7,000 farmers in agro-ecological practices including vegetable growing, composting, pest management, green manures, agroforestry, SRI, water management. The HPC's work centres around 3 main strategies: Training and Education: Assisting farmers and development workers in the process of design and implementation of demonstrated sustainable agriculture systems and agro-ecological approaches. Resources: The seed, seedlings and published information (books, booklets, posters) needed for farmers and development workers to design and implement such systems on their own land and in their communities. Research: This is implemented to identify useful new species and cropping patterns, or combinations of those existing traditionally, which are favoured and can be appropriated by local farmers for their own use. HPC carries out demonstration, training, resource production and research on its own resource centres (working farms) in Kathmandu, Surkhet and Humla districts. It also carries out these activities on farmers own land, though the research needs to be risk-free otherwise they may lose valuable food crops or land if experiments don't work. In addition to its farming-related activities HPC also works in the health, education (schools and adult literacy) and livelihood sectors because of their connection with its agro-ecological strategies. Participants on a farmers training session learn how to plant fruit trees WHAT MAKES THIS REGENERATIVE? IMPACT ON PLANET Increase in biodiversity and soil health. Decrease in pressure on forest areas. Regeneration of degraded areas around and within villages. Planting of over 51,000 fruit trees and over 50,000 multi-purpose trees and shrubs planted in agroforestry plots. 81 Farmers implementing SRI. IMPACT ON PEOPLE Increase in on-farm and domestic productivity. Decrease in labour and resource cost. Recognition of local culture, skills, technology and biodiversity. Increasing awareness of local issues of gender imbalance/women's health, local regenerative economies. Awareness of global issues of trade, climate change and justice As it is published in the Nepali language, the Farmers’ Handbook is used for practical literacy education. COMBINED REGENERATIVE IMPACT Demonstrations and training resources provided so that local people can see techniques and approaches that meet holistic goals and further receive training on how to design and implement in own communities. Using Permaculture design and integrating issues such as food production/agriculture, health, education and livelihoods then settlements are designed that reduce the need to leave communities for work/income elsewhere. Replicability: Following a farmers training session, a farmer from outside HPC's working member villages establishes a root stock nursery at his home, demonstrating the spread of HPC's activities. SCALABILITY AND REPLICABILITY HPC works directly in 32 villages (over 5000 beneficiaries) but as farmer-to-farmer contact spreads it's techniques way beyond this there are many other areas. The Farmers Handbook is a step by step guide in many agriculture processes that although are specifically tailored for Himalayan Conditions, the ideas in this comprehensive document can be adjusted for other agro-ecological environments. WHAT'S NEXT FOR THIS PROJECT? HPC wants to reduce its need for external funding by developing internal/local resilience through processing, marketing and fair trade for local, national and international trade. It will continue to offer increased resources for other organisations/communities through its barefoot consultants program. CONTACT THE HIMALAYAN PERMACULTURE CENTRE The Himalayan Permaculture Centre (HPC) is a grassroots regenerative NGO based in Nepal with a focus on rural development. Website | Facebook | Download The Farmer's Handbook CONTACT US If you would like to join our network of regenerative practitioners, contact us here .

If you’re reading this article, no doubt you already know that humans need to radically transform the way global food systems operate. The climate crisis is accelerating faster than many scientists and activists anticipated. The way that humans grow, source, transport (and waste) food is estimated to contribute to around 25% of all the world’s human-caused Greenhouse Gas Emissions, indeed with animal agriculture being the bulk of that figure (IPCC ‘Climate Change and Land’) . At the same time, conventional agriculture is stripping soils of nutrients, and ecosystem destruction means that it’s harder for landscapes to naturally bounce-back from shocks like extreme weather events. But what’s the alternative? In this article, we’ll explore how perennial food systems can be one antidote to destructive food production practices. We’ll explore some scientific research, while also asking a Permaculture practitioner for some advice for refugee-led community groups - what can we do right now to integrate perennial growing practices? Across increasingly climate-stressed and degraded landscapes, food forests offer a proven way to rebuild soils, biodiversity, and livelihoods. Research is increasingly showing that integrating trees with food production enhances multiple ecosystem services at once: soil carbon, water regulation, pollinator habitat, microclimate buffering, and often farm-level resilience and incomes (Matieu, A. et al. 2025) . Annual plants grown in monoculture often rely on digging and tilling, as well as heavy chemical inputs, massively diminishing soil and biodiversity health. Perennial systems, by contrast, focus on building soil. They cycle carbon through living roots and soil, protecting and feeding soil life. Recent syntheses find agroforestry raises soil organic carbon by around 10% on average compared with other land uses. Biodiversity, nutrient retention and erosion control rises consistently on regenerative farms (Pan, J. et al. 2023) . What could this mean in a displacement context? Historically, refugee communities have been offered staples such as rice or grains as part of their support packages. These are mostly annual crops from cereals and oilseeds. But a transition toward regionally adapted, local and culturally appropriate perennial staples like nuts, starchy fruits, hardy tubers, and protein-rich tree crops can diversify diets, increase nutrition, and reduce (or eliminate) degenerative food growing practices. Academic reviews catalog dozens of perennial staple species with great nutrient density and storability which could offer viable alternatives to annuals (eg. Kreitzman, M et al. 2020) . But we shouldn’t just aim to replicate a conventional farming system, simply with perennials like trees instead of annuals. This transition must be designed in a way that incorporates local and indigenous wisdom, native species of crops, and biodiversity. We need nature-inspired farming practices that integrate a richness of diversity, integrate traditional ecological knowledge, store and sink water in healthy hydrological cycles, and create habitats for wildlife. Imagine this: luscious green forests with layered canopies, year-round ground cover, living mulches, and mixed perennials. This could be our food system, and rich examples of this are emerging across the globe. Indeed, indigenous and land-based communities are stewarding unbroken examples of food forestry. Can food forestry work in displacement settings? In short, yes, especially if designed collaboratively and with maintenance in mind. Perennial planting can take careful maintenance like regular watering in dry climates in the first few years of planting, and there can also be a transition period where there is a lower crop harvest in the first few seasons. Host and refugee communities should be consulted in the process to make these spaces as relevant and useful for all communities, and careful planning and governance needs to be considered. Who will water? Who will prune? Who will make sure wild grazing animals are not eating all the saplings? Currently there are a number of barriers to growing perennials in many displacement contexts. In some countries this includes laws or customs which forbid or limit any kind of planting or building which could imply that refugees are settling permanently. Here and more widely, we need a change in policy away from an emphasis on conventional, degenerative farming, stopping government subsidies toward destructive agricultural practices like chemical inputs, and supporting farmers to transition toward regenerative farming. Edible mushrooms should be integrated, cultivated on prunings, woodchips, or agroforestry by-products, to turn “waste” into nutrient-dense food and income, while contributing to soil structure. Quick-growing crops like mushrooms can also support the transition period where, in the first few years, there may be a small drop in farmland productivity as the system establishes. Managed coppice and fast-growing woodlots can supply some fuel from pruned branches, but clean-cooking transitions are critical for health, safety, and forest protection. Pilots with solar cookers offer a clean and climate-friendly solution where sunlight and cooking practices align (UNHCR 2021) . There’s no need to wait. You can start now! Permaculture teacher and Re-Alliance Correspondent Ansiima Casinga Rolande gives advice to land-based practitioners. Mulch. Never leave the soil bare.  Keep soils covered with ground-cover plants or leaves, prunings, and crop residues to feed microbes, retain moisture, and reduce weeding. Plant ‘chop-and-drop’ plants like legumes that fix nitrogen. Plant in layers and think in guilds.  Combine large canopy trees like nuts or fruit trees, sub-canopy shrubs like berries, vines, herbaceous perennials, ground-covers, and root crops. Making plant ‘guilds’ means choosing plants that work together and contribute to the whole farm system. Plan across time and usage.  Think about when you would harvest the crops so that you always have nutritious foods to eat, or how you might save and preserve heavy-croppers like nuts. If possible, you’ll always want to have a diversity of crops ready to harvest at once: some for eating fresh, some for preserving, and some for trading, sharing or selling. Integrate plants as natural fertilisers.  Some plants are valuable for their fertile-rich composition, meaning that they can be integrated into your farm ecosystem to be used in compost-teas and organic fertiliser liquids. Many of these plants you can also simply ‘chop-and-drop’ to create biodegradable, high-nutrient mulches. Integrate mushrooms.  Inoculate woodchips or logs from pruning and start with reliable oyster or shiitake varieties, but try to find local edible varieties. Consider cash crops.  You may want to integrate plants that you can harvest for their high value, for trading, sharing or selling. For example, integrating coffee into a biodiverse food forest is a great way to have tradable produce, and good chop-and-drop biomass from pruning the branches. Moving from annual monocultures toward biodiversity-rich food forestry will not replace destructive practices overnight. But the evidence is strong that even partial transitions like hedgerows, living fences, alley cropping, small food forests, and communal gardens can deliver measurable climate, soil, and livelihood benefits now, while opening pathways to wider cultural changes in the future. This is regeneration we can start today.

The Role of Youth in Regeneration Across the world, young people are confronting the impacts of climate change, environmental degradation, and displacement. Yet despite being among the most affected, youth are often left out of decisions about the future. At Re-Alliance, we believe young people are not just the future - they are already leading regenerative action today. From restoring water systems and growing food sovereignty to reviving traditional knowledge and organising grassroots movements, youth are at the heart of eco-social regeneration. What’s often missing is support: access to tools, training, networks and opportunities to connect with others doing similar work across regions and cultures. Practical demonstrations at the National PermaYouth Camp, Timor-Leste October 2024 That’s why we’re excited to spotlight the upcoming International PermaYouth Convergence (IPYC–2025) - a global gathering rooted in a powerful youth-led model developed in Timor-Leste by Timorese NGO Permatil (Permaculture Timor-Lorosa’e). Introducing the International PermaYouth Convergence (IPYC–2025) From 20-25 October 2025, youth (aged 17-35) and community leaders from six continents will come together in Ermera, Timor-Leste, for six days of permaculture learning, leadership training, and cultural exchange. The convergence, hosted by Permatil (Timor-Leste) , partner organisation Permatil Global (Australia) , and the newly formed PermaYouth Association of Timor-Leste, will share the successful PermaYouth camp model - which has empowered thousands of youth in Timor-Leste - with the world. The theme of the event, “Planting Water, Growing Communities,” focuses on regenerating ecosystems, applying permaculture approaches and strengthening community resilience through practical, nature-based action. Participants observing an activity at the National PermaYouth Camp, Timor-Leste October 2024    Learn more and register your interest here The PermaYouth Model Since 2008, Permatil has run over 15 regional and national PermaYouth camps, reaching more than 6,500 young people across Timor-Leste. These camps combine permaculture, agroecology, and traditional knowledge with youth empowerment, gender inclusion, and leadership development. Participants learn by doing, gaining skills in: Water harvesting and watershed regeneration Agroforestry and sloping agriculture Community organising and ecological sanitation Cultural preservation and indigenous food systems Camps are inclusive and participatory, prioritising involvement from young women, LGBTQIA+ youth, people with disabilities, and other often-marginalised groups. Many past participants now lead their own projects or play a role in the national PermaYouth Association, which will co-lead the IPYC–2025 and help support future participants as they return home to share what they’ve learned. PermaYouth Camp participants  A Living Laboratory of Regeneration Participants in the convergence will visit Permatil’s demonstration site in Fatuquero, where water management and ecological restoration have transformed degraded land into a thriving community asset. Their “Planting Water” approach has recharged over 20 million litres of groundwater across Timor-Leste, restored springs, improved crop yields, and helped secure year-round food and water access. The site also serves as a platform for innovation, knowledge sharing, and lifelong learning. The convergence will combine this hands-on training with a nightly cultural and music festival, featuring traditional and contemporary performances from Timor-Leste and around the world - a celebration of identity, resilience, and connection. Participants perform at the National PermaYouth Camp evening events  Why It Matters: Relevance to Re-Alliance and the Sector The IPYC–2025 speaks directly to Re-Alliance’s mission: to amplify and scale community-led regenerative approaches in humanitarian and development contexts. It offers a model for how to: Centre youth in resilience-building and regeneration Share knowledge and practices across Global South regions Build long-term capacity rooted in local culture and ecosystems Shift power and resources to grassroots actors The convergence will also launch the International PermaYouth Network (IPYN) - a global alliance of young leaders working to implement permaculture, build eco-social resilience, and support each other across borders. How to Get Involved: Become a Champion Permatil and Permatil Global are inviting Champions from around the world - community organisers, educators, activists, and allies - to help share the opportunity and support local youth to participate. Champions help by: Disseminating event info and encouraging youth participation Supporting delegations with coordination and funding access Acting as local points of contact between communities and organisers You don’t need to attend to be involved. Champion Kits and briefings are available to support your role. More info and Champion sign-up can be found here, or email ipyc-2025@permatilglobal.org Traditional cooking competition at the National PermaYouth Camp  Planting Seeds for a Regenerative Future The International PermaYouth Convergence is an invitation to build a global network of young people leading regenerative action in their own communities. Re-Alliance is proud to support this work, and we invite our members, partners and peers to join. Whether by sending a youth delegation, becoming a Champion, or simply sharing this story, you can help grow this global movement. Because regeneration is about more than restoring ecosystems - it’s about restoring leadership, autonomy, and hope. And engaging youth in this process is essential.

What might Regeneration look like in a humanitarian context? In humanitarian crises, whether driven by conflict, ecological collapse, or systemic injustice, the dominant response remains overwhelmingly extractive . Too often we see degenerative humanitarian responses which meet the basic needs of humans well, but which ultimately deplete the environment and erode community autonomy . Deforestation, drying of aquifers and soil erosion can all be avoided through thoughtful approaches if we plan for the longer term. Regenerative practice reminds us that even in the most urgent conditions, we can design interventions that nurture and collaborate with the living systems upon which all life depends . We need responses that build community autonomy, and relationship with land and other species. A regenerative response is anchored in ethics , described in the Permaculture tradition as Earth Care, People Care, and Fair Share. Rooted in these ethics, we then work with principles , drawn from deep observation of the living world . A principles-based approach helps our vision and ethics take shape in ways that work with nature, rather than against her . Living systems principles offer very practical and tangible insight, but perhaps more importantly, they offer profound political and cultural lessons on interdependence, resilience, and systemic thinking . In this way, nature-inspired principles are more than guidelines for ecological restoration, and more than simple tools and techniques . They are pathways for transforming and decolonising aid , for disrupting control-based responses, and growing regenerative futures rooted in justice, reciprocity, and care. Healthy ecosystems evolve through complex relationships. They cycle nutrients, they encourage diversity, and they adapt to change. By observing these dynamics, regenerative practitioners translate ecological intelligence into action through design . Let’s explore some of these principles, and see how they might be useful in humanitarian contexts. These principles are inspired by movements like Permaculture and Agroecology, which are in themselves both deeply inspired by Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Indigenous wisdom. However, the language we use here is adapted. 🪱 Nurture Diversity In healthy ecosystems, diversity is essential. A forest thrives through the interdependence of many species, each contributing to the health of the whole. Each element in a system relies on others and also contributes to others . Monocultures (of all kinds - ecological or social) are flimsy. Monocultures rely on extra labour and external inputs, and they collapse easily under stress. In humanitarian response, diversity is equally critical. Standardised aid packages often ignore local realities, erasing traditional knowledge and cultural context, and undermining community autonomy. Regenerative responses cultivate diversity.   How might we encourage diversity within our responses and planning? For example, this might be through mapping skills within a community to encourage a healthy exchange of talents and mutual aid. Communities may come together to host an 'Offers and Needs Market' to make their diverse skills and needs more visible. Additionally, diversity can be nurtured alongside boosting nutrition, through growing biodiverse community gardens which encourage a diversity of fresh produce as well as meaningful activity. 🔄 Cycle Resource In wild nature, there is no waste. Fallen leaves feed soil; decomposing matter nurtures new growth. Healthy systems contribute to cycles across scales: cycles of water, nutrients, carbon, and more . Healthy systems ideally have minimal external inputs or outputs, as everything is cycled or exchanged from within the system or across nested systems. Conventional Humanitarian interventions often rely heavily on external inputs and also create a lot of waste outputs. They import food, use lots of wasteful plastic, rely on heavy transport in the supply chains. Sometimes external inputs are necessary when, for example, there has been a natural disaster and there are no local materials to work with. But these conventional interventions create a lot of ecological and social harm. Instead, Regenerative responses encourage cycles. How might we integrate resource cycles into our responses? For example, this could be through   circular sanitation systems , which can enrich soils, increase its water-holding capacity and help grow trees for food, natural medicines, shade, carbon-capture, fuel, building materials, and more. ☀️ Use Energy Flows Energy flows, like the flow of sunlight, sustain life on this planet. A regenerative approach seeks to catch and store both ecological and social energy . For example, capturing sunlight through solar panels, or wind through micro-wind power. Installing rainwater harvesting tanks reduces water stress in future crises. Giving space for peer-to-peer knowledge sharing and upskilling through training programmes can build local knowledge that supports recovery beyond the immediate disaster. Even small adaptations, like orienting shelters toward the sun in cold climates to maximise solar gain, reduce energy needs and environmental impact. Catching and storing energy isn't just about infrastructure, but also about the social and relational. How might we create space for people facing crises to share their own talents and wisdom? 🪾 Work with Patterns Nature often organises through recurring patterns , such as branches in a river mirroring branches in trees mirroring the veins in our arms. This is not random, but evolutionary movement toward efficiency and resilience. Healthy ecosystems are full of recurring patterns, big and small, wide and deep . A Regenerative Response pays attention to patterns and integrates them, for example mapping patterns of how sunlight or water moves across a landscape before deciding where to site shelters. What other patterns might you observe when planning action? 🫶 Integrate the Relational Thriving systems are webs of relationships, not isolated parts . More than the sum of its parts, the relationships themselves bring unique and often beneficial dynamics that create change. Regenerative responses deepen into this ‘special ingredient’ of relationship, and does this across scales. We look at relationships between animals, plants, people, place, bioregion, and more. Designing for relationship means thinking about not just the individual ‘shopping list’ of needs in a crisis moment, like shelters, food and water, but about how these interact with one another, how people relate with one another and with the land. If we ignore these interactions, meeting needs in one area can undermine or compromise a need in another. For example, cutting wood for cooking fuel depletes forests, removing habitats for biodiversity, sources of food, natural medicine, or building materials for shelter in the future. Or building shelters from concrete uses extracted resources and water, depleting aquifers, while also stopping rain from permeating soil and refilling aquifers, adding to risks of both drought and flooding. 🔘 Learn from the Edges In the healthy wild, the place where multiple unique ecosystems meet and interact is often the richest and most biodiverse . Think of the edge of a river where the riverine ecosystem meets a meadow. This is often a space of great abundance, with more species living than in just one of the ecosystems alone. ‘Cultural edges’ can also be abundant , like in the space where host and displaced communities meet. If all communities are welcomed, it can become a rich space of exchange. What learning from the edges (social and/or ecological) might you be able to integrate in your work? 🍂 Design for Adaptivity In this polycrisis, we are experiencing change at unprecedented speeds and intensity. But indeed there is always change. Healthy systems are able to deal with shocks and adapt to them . In the face of such extreme changes like the climate and nature crises, we may be past the tipping point of fully halting the devastating changes to our planet, but we can still build ecological and social resilience to help adapt to the changes . Likewise, how might we design humanitarian interventions that are adaptable so that, as changes occur, the people and place are able to deal with those shocks? Principles or a Regenerative Response: A Political Commitment Nature-inspired principles are not apolitical technical fixes. They are commitments to systemic change. They resist extractive, colonial patterns in humanitarianism , instead aiming for whole-systems health over short-term exploitation; community agency over technocratic control; cyclical, resilient systems over linear, dependency-driven models. As the polycrisis intensifies, regenerative principles offer pathways to reimagine humanitarian action. Not as acts of charity, but as meaningful solidarity.

In a world grappling with climate crises, mass displacement, and dwindling resources, how we manage human waste in camps and settlements has never been more critical. This new guide from Re-Alliance Ecological Sanitation With Reuse in Camps & Settlements , offers a transformative approach that promotes sanitation as a tool for regeneration. What Makes This Guide Different? Too often, the full reuse benefits of ecological sanitation (EcoSan) are not realised in humanitarian settings because of the perceived 'intensive management' it requires. We argue that we can no longer afford to waste the powerful resources generated: compost, urine fertiliser, and cooking fuel. It makes a compelling case for reuse—safe, dignified, and community-driven reuse. There are practical steps for planning for reuse, showing how this can be planned for from the start of a sanitation project. In times of crisis, we must not discard what can be used to restore. Human waste, properly treated, can replenish soils, grow crops, regenerate forests, and reduce dependency on external inputs like fuel and fertiliser. Practical, Proven, and People-Centered The guide is rich with case studies of proven practical technologies—like Arborloos, Fossa Alternas, Urine Diversion Dry Toilets, and Biogas Systems—each evaluated for use in camps and settlements. It distills the criteria for a regenerative response into three simple guiding principles: Keep it simple  – design low-tech, passive systems that can be maintained locally. Keep it going  – build systems that last, even with reduced external funding. Keep it growing  – use outputs to grow food, fuel, trees, and ecosystem services. A Tool for Regeneration This isn’t just about waste. It’s about reversing the degradation often seen in overburdened landscapes. It’s about turning camps into catalysts for ecological repair, where sanitation is linked with reforestation, agriculture, and soil health. By rethinking waste as a resource, and sanitation as an opportunity, this guide invites a reimagining of humanitarian response. It aligns with Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and shows that with the right approach, sanitation can do more than prevent disease—it can build hope, resilience, and ecosystems. Read the guide here We would love to know your thoughts on this guide. Do email us via our contact page if you have any questions, suggestions or examples of ecological sanitation with reuse to take forward the conversation.

“The forest does not speak, but it remembers.”(Limba: "yama thɔmɛ buyaŋ buŋ") - A traditional saying shared by Gibrilla Kamara from SILCC, reflecting the deep memory and spirit held by the forests. Across Sierra Leone, forests are more than ecosystems - they are sacred. Languages are more than tools, they are vessels of knowledge. Culture is not just heritage, it’s a living force in protecting land, restoring balance, and reclaiming community power. Working at the heart of this is the Society for Indigenous Languages, Communities and Cultures (SILCC), a small but powerful grassroots organisation led by Gibrilla Kamara in Kambia District. Through language revitalisation, cultural preservation, and ecological regeneration, SILCC is demonstrating how indigenous knowledge and practices are not only relevant, they are essential. The Forest as Sacred In villages like Konta and Masoko, forests are understood as living beings, home to sacred trees, ancestral monuments, and ceremonial sites. These are places where songs are sung, healing rituals performed, and community identity rooted. In the forest, the community looks for the biggest tree which they use as the ceremonial hub and the place of gathering. in that tree, it is a sacred place and the tree itself will become a sacred tree. - Gibrilla Kamara SILCC’s work includes negotiating formal agreements with communities to protect these sacred forests, blending cultural protocols with regenerative land governance. In one example, the community of Konta signed a memorandum of understanding to prevent destructive commercial activity and reinstate traditional forestry practices. The preservation agreements came from deep community dialogue. In 2018, SILCC hosted a gathering of elders from 17 villages in Konta, where discussions focused on fighting back against commercial logging and reviving sacred practices. “We cement the importance of these agreements with traditional ceremonies,” explains Gibrilla. “Each village is supported to hold ceremonies that revive customs and re-consecrate forest lands, with around fifteen hectares protected per agreement.” Today, over 80 villages have expressed interest in making their own forest preservation agreements. Photo from a ceremony in Konta, where community elders, youth, and families gather from across villages to witness and celebrate the revival of sacred traditions.  Language as Regeneration Language carries the worldview of a people, and with it, the ethics of how to live well with land, ancestors, and each other. SILCC has developed storybook resources in Limba and Bullom (Mani), two indigenous languages under threat. These books blend environmental storytelling with cultural heritage. For example, the Limba storybook features ethnographic narratives and environmental stories rooted in daily life, rituals, and respect for nature. The Bullom book captures the history of a critically endangered language through tales of fishing, marriage ceremonies, and the crowning of village chiefs, teaching respect for nature, pride in heritage, and the importance of community knowledge. “Traditional ceremonies happen only in our native languages - many things cannot be easily translated. When we lose language, we lose whole ways of seeing and caring for the land” - Gibrilla Kamara, Indigenous language Literacy Coordinator at SILCC Teaching children in their mother tongues strengthens cultural identity, boosts learning outcomes, and ensures the next generation carries forward vital ecological wisdom. Check out the Limba Literacy Book produced by Gibrilla Kamara and SILCC here . Illustration from the front page of the Limba Literacy Book, credit to SILCC and the African Storybook Team Regenerating Knowledge, Regenerating Land Between February and July, SILCC worked with traditional healers to document herbal medicine and healing practices, including collaboration with a renowned bone specialist. This work ensures that ancestral knowledge remains accessible for future generations seeking holistic and sustainable healthcare. They’ve also documented blacksmithing techniques, an essential craft for local farming tools, and are supporting intergenerational learning to keep these traditions alive. Meanwhile, beekeeping and tree planting initiatives are helping tie ecological restoration to livelihoods. Eight beehive boxes were built this year, and over a dozen schools participated in planting trees and distributing cocoa seeds. “Young people are increasingly drawn to projects like beekeeping,” Gibrilla notes. “They see how it supports biodiversity, food systems, and even small businesses. There’s a real hunger to reconnect- with nature, with tradition, and with opportunity.” Community members in Konta Village discussing the importance of traditional forest and cultural practices. A Call to Solidarity SILCC’s work is a powerful reminder that regeneration is not just technical - it’s cultural, spiritual, and political. It’s about liberating knowledge, protecting sacred places, and reclaiming languages that carry centuries of wisdom. “Traditional knowledge is not something to preserve in a museum,” says Gibrilla. “It’s a living system—relevant to climate action, education reform, food sovereignty, and resilience-building.” As the climate and humanitarian sectors search for sustainable solutions, they would do well to listen more closely to those like SILCC - who are not only imagining a different future, but actively building it. Interested in supporting or learning more about SILCC? Visit https://silccsierraleone.org/  or follow them on Facebook . You can also reach out directly at silccsierraleone@gmail.com .

Since 2023, Lebanon’s Masnaa border crossing in the Bekaa Valley has seen a growing influx of Syrian refugees . At the same time, the region faces a major environmental crisis: the Litani River, one of Lebanon’s largest water sources, is heavily polluted - much of it due to untreated sewage. Because Lebanese policy prohibits formal refugee camps , informal settlements have emerged without adequate sanitation infrastructure. Sanitation Challenges in Informal Camps In these tented camps, families often live in overcrowded shelters. These structures typically fail to meet basic safety or sanitation standards. With an average of 9 people per tent, sharing toilets means there are privacy problems, overcrowding, and challenges with accessing toilets in the winter. Additionally, the toilets are makeshift and built haphazardly, using easily available cheap resources that do not consider safety and proper sanitation requirements. However, the biggest problem is not structural, but lies in waste disposal. Some toilets drain into underground barrels that require manual removal of human waste, while others use small containers that are frequently emptied by truck. These systems regularly overflow, especially in winter, when rain causes waste to resurface and flood the camp. The result: foul smells, unsafe conditions, and contamination of groundwater. A Regenerative Sanitation Pilot   To address the urgent issue of waste leaking into groundwater and contaminating water sources in the region, Farms Not Arms (Turba-Farm), supported by Re-Alliance, launched a vermicomposting project at Turba Farm in Zahle, Bekaa, next to a tented informal camp housing 120 Syrian refugees. This initiative involved using local materials to build three vermicomposting toilets - alternative latrines that filter urine and use worms to convert faecal matter into compost, improving sanitation while restoring soil health. Designed as a pilot project, the toilets built provided an insight on the functionality of the design and the positive impacts vermicompost toilets can have on reducing contamination and flooding camp wide.  Toilets in the camp in Zahle, Lebanon (above) along with the exposed drainage system near to the tents (below) How Vermicomposting Toilets Work Vermicomposting uses earthworms to compost organic waste matter. Each toilet consists of three components: a seat, an insulated worm tank, and a soakaway or “green filter bed.” The toilet designed by Farms Not Arms is built above the worm tank so that human waste is easily transferred from the toilet to the tank, where the worms are located. The worm tank consists of different layers – gravel, covered by a nylon mesh, a mix of dry organic materials (such as wood shavings, straw, and dead leaves), and a mixture of compost, manure, and kitchen scraps. This is the perfect environment for the worms to thrive, multiply and decompose the faecal matter. Additionally, the tank is insulated with a wooden sheet to protect the worms from extreme temperatures. There is a perforated drainage pipe inside the tank, wrapped with a nylon mesh, stopping any worms or organic material from seeping through to the soakaway area. The vermicompost filters the urine, removing 90% of the pollutants, and through the drainage pipe is further filtered by the green filter bed, ensuring that no human waste pollutes the groundwater. The solid waste turns into compost that can be used on farms and sold. Maintaining the toilets is done by those using the toilets. After its build, the only costs are from the wood chips that need refilling every 2 months, making these toilets ideal for refugee camps where resources are scarce. Above and below - Illustrations of Vermicompost Toilets with the latrine built above a worm tank.       Community Engagement and Local Adaptation The project showcases a collaborative process between the Farms Not Arms team and the camp residents, who were enthusiastic about the toilets after the workshops. The enthusiasm remained after the build as the new toilets eliminated the foul smells, provided sanitation to a tent previously lacking a toilet, and reduced the need to empty their former septic tank. The team also spotted early indications that suggested health improvements among those using the vermicomposting toilet rather than their old methods.  A vermicomposting toilet outside a tent in an informal camp in Bekaa. Farms Not Arms saw that involving the toilet recipients in the build fostered community ownership of the project, and local expertise led to an adjustment in the toilet design. Replacing wood with concrete and metal sheets to build the structure reflected the needs on the ground and incorporated durable and cost-effective materials.  As always when implementing a regenerative initiative, adaptation to the local context is crucial. This project faced some challenges due to the local context, such as cold temperatures slowing the worm reproduction and, consequently, the initial use of the toilets. Fortunately, since the use of the toilets, there have been no other functional difficulties. The limited space in the camp also restricted the placement of the toilets near existing structures. Therefore, the toilets were placed in tents without existing bathrooms or enough space to build a new toilet next to the existing ones.  It is worth noting that vermicomposting toilets require height to elevate the toilet adequately above the tank to avoid problems with the drainage system and space for the green filter bed suitable for daily use. Some users expressed concerns about the stairs to access the toilet, particularly for elderly individuals, however, as the land in this camp is flat and the tank must be above ground, this is an issue which could be mitigated in areas with different terrain.   Another factor to consider is that vermicomposting toilets use water; therefore, if water is scarce, you may want to consider choosing dry toilets rather than vermicomposting toilets.  Unfortunately, due to the area’s current instability, this case study does not include up-to-date testimonies about the current state or community’s experience of the vermicomposting toilets. Part of a Broader Regenerative Approach This pilot, in partnership with Farms Not Arms, is one of 16 projects implemented as part of Re-Alliance’s Regenerative Camps and Settlements Guidelines research. Re-Alliance supports grassroots-led, regenerative solutions in disaster, displacement, and conflict settings through gathering evidence, sharing capacity, and creating accessible resources to influence systemic change across the humanitarian sector. Learnings from the Zahle project and other pilots supported by Re-Alliance are informing a growing suite of illustrated guides and multimedia tools designed to support communities and practitioners worldwide in adopting regenerative sanitation approaches. Learn More and Take Action Interested in building similar toilets in your context, or learning from others who have? Explore our free guides , join a Re-Alliance event , or connect with our peer-learning network  to join the movement for community-led, regenerative response. This case study was compiled by Lily Hallam, a recent Global Studies graduate from Maastricht University and a current volunteer at Re-Alliance. She is passionate about progressive policy and inclusive social development. Her main areas of interest are exploring the structural roots of systemic injustices, particularly at the intersections of conflict, institutions, and development challenges.

Fires are a frequent and deadly hazard in densely populated refugee and IDP settlements. The UNHCR state that in 2021, over 3,000 fires were reported in refugee and IDP camps worldwide, many of which caused loss of life. A tent in a Syrian refugee camp is destroyed by fire. Shelters in camps are often made of flammable materials. The world’s largest refugee camp, Kutupalong in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, has endured many devastating fires, including one in March 2021 that destroyed over 10,000 shelters and displaced 45,000 refugees. This is within the context of increased fire-risk caused by climate change, which is worsening the scale of wildfires worldwide as rising temperatures lead to longer and more destructive fire seasons.  Refugee and IDP camps are particularly vulnerable to fire because of the dense siting of often highly flammable shelters, the widespread use of fire for cooking, either on wood or LPG, and the predominance of camps in countries with hot, dry climates. There is an urgent need to use fire-resistant materials for shelters that can protect lives and restrict the spread of fire, but funding shortages, supply chain issues, political restrictions and fast-paced timescales limit options. Lime Stabilised Soil offers a low-cost, innovative solution which uses locally available, natural materials which can be mixed and applied by communities themselves. Kutupalong camp , exemplifies the challenges of providing fire-resistant housing in densely populated areas prone to disasters. Here, Lime Stabilised Soil (LSS) is emerging as a transformative building material offering win-win solutions in the most challenging of contexts.  How Lime Stabilised Soil Enhances Fire Safety LSS is a mixture of soil, lime, and sometimes pozzolans, which chemically bond to create a hardened material with remarkable fire-resistant properties. It can be applied as a plaster to traditional bamboo, wood or mud structures, and panels of bamboo and tarpaulin, but unlike bamboo and tarpaulin, LSS: Is Non-Flammable:  It does not ignite or spread flames, a critical feature in fire-prone environments. Provides Thermal Insulation:  LSS slows down heat transfer, helping to contain and minimise fire damage. Withstands Fire Exposure:  Tests conducted in Cox’s Bazar showed that while standard shelters burned down within minutes, LSS-plastered shelters remained intact after 20+ minutes of fire exposure. LSS can protect buildings from fires started internally or from external fires and inhibits spread of flame. LSS plaster is applied to split-bamboo wall panels. Photo (C) Bee Rowan Why LSS is Ideal for Displacement Contexts Beyond its fire-resistant qualities, LSS offers advantages that make it particularly suited to refugee and displacement settings: Locally Available and Affordable:  LSS relies on natural materials including lime and soil, which are available and low cost in most regions.  In line with regulations:  Sometimes host countries have laws prohibiting the use of permanent materials, like concrete, in refugee and IDP camps. As a natural material LSS can align with these regulations while still offering a durable solution. Multi-Hazard Resilience:  As well as fire resistance, LSS shelters can withstand monsoon rains and prolonged flood as LSS material remains strong and stable in water.  It also  gives increased thermal performance to the interiors of buildings, keeping buildings cooler in heatwaves and warmer in cold conditions. This makes LSS  a robust material choice for disaster-prone areas. Sustainability:  LSS can be carbon-neutral, providing a sustainable  alternative to cement based concrete as LSS  does not contribute to climate change. The use of cement is a global concern - if the cement industry were a country, it would be the third largest emitter of carbon dioxide in the world.  Success Stories: LSS in Action at Cox’s Bazar Re-alliance member and LSS expert Bee Rowan worked in Cox’s Bazar with IOM in 2023 on a pilot project to firstly test the viability of LSS in the Rohingya refugee camp context and after evidencing its success, trained teams to build 51 LSS plastered bamboo shelters. She told us how results demonstrated the effectiveness of LSS in addressing both fire and flood risks:  “ We built an LSS-plastered shelter and fire tested it in real-world conditions next to one of the standard bamboo shelters  built on a massive scale in the camps. There had just been a devastating fire in Camp 11 and everyone knew fire prevention had to become a priority as big camp fires were an annual occurrence. . The Rohingya workers  next to me were moved to tears as we watched the LSS building easily withstand 20 minutes of flames without burning, while the standard shelter next to it was engulfed by fire and fully destroyed within 5 minutes.”  Above - the fire test comparing a standard bamboo shelter (left) to a LSS-plastered shelter (right), both fired at the same time, with the same amount of accelerant and filled with the same calorific loading of flammable materials.  The standard shelter was entirely destroyed. After 20 minutes, when the fuel for the fire had been consumed, the LSS shelter was still intact, except for the bulk of the roof, which was the typical flammable tarpaulin roof. The LSS shelter design has now been adapted to include a fire-resilient LSS plastered roof. Photo (c) Bee Rowan. Training and Knowledge Sharing While there is great potential in LSS, further training and knowledge-sharing is needed for its successful and widespread use. To ensure the technology’s broader  adoption, projects need to include training of trainers, and of  local engineers, staff of implementing partners,  community workers, masons and householders.  Investing  resources into training and training of trainers can empower communities to take ownership of the construction process and its quality; creating employment opportunities, fostering resilience and enabling people to maintain and mend buildings far into the future. Bee Rowan has co-authored a Lime Stabilised Soil Construction Guide  (available free online, hosted by IOM) which takes readers through the steps needed to build successfully with field-tested lime and local sub-soils. Re-alliance also plans to include building with LSS in their free online course, coming in 2026.  Lime is slaked with water in a project in Nepal to make lime putty (C) Bee Rowan A Blueprint for Safer Settlements - improved vernacular design The introduction of LSS in refugee camp settings can offer a scalable, cost-effective and low carbon solution to one of the most deadly challenges faced by displaced populations. By addressing fire risks, improving resilience to environmental hazards, and aligning with building restrictions, LSS represents a step forward in shelter innovation. For displaced communities, LSS offers a way to adapt vernacular buildings to become safer and more resilient to climate change and its associated disasters. The lessons learned in Cox’s Bazar highlight the potential for this technology to be replicated in other high-risk settings worldwide.

Building Hope with Lime-Stabilised Soil: A Resilient Solution for Shelters in Cox’s Bazar Refugee Camps In the world's largest refugee settlement in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, over 1.2 million Rohingya refugees live in shelters made from bamboo and tarpaulin that struggle to withstand monsoons, floods, and devastating fires. An innovative project led by Strawbuild’s Bee Rowan, supported by Re-Alliance, has introduced Lime Stabilised soil as a resilient, low carbon and cost-effective solution for shelter building, which has been approved for use in the camps by the Bangladeshi government.  The tarpaulin roofs of the standard bamboo shelter often leak, are highly flammable and create high internal temperatures in the hot season What is Lime-Stabilised Soil (LSS)? LSS is a low-carbon, cost-effective building material that combines soil, lime, and local pozzolans (like rice husk ash or burnt brick dust) to create a durable, fire-resistant, and flood-resilient material. LSS can be used as a plaster over a structural frame, to form load-bearing bricks and blocks or as mortar between blocks. Most regions have local sources of lime, pozzolans and soils with a clay content, so unlike concrete, LSS can be produced locally, making it both affordable and more environmentally friendly. In contrast to cement, lime is not heated to extreme temperatures, giving it a far lower embodied energy with low to neutral associated carbon emissions.  Training and continued monitoring key to quality Building with lime needs investment in training and continued mix testing, meaning that it can take longer than building with cement. Durability is only assured when care is taken to test each mix and tailor the ratios needed to the specific ingredients used. When built with the right care and attention lime buildings can last thousands of years, such as in ancient Roman lime masonry still standing today. Lime can be mixed with soil to make resilient renders, plasters, bricks, blocks and mortars (c) Bee Rowan The Pilot Project in Cox’s Bazar With a £7,000 grant from Re-Alliance, the pilot project tested the feasibility of LSS in the camps. Working alongside engineers from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Rohingya refugees, Bee Rowan conducted testing to identify the best soil-lime mixtures for local conditions. The results were positive. Monsoon & Flood Resilience : LSS test mixes showed high compressive wet strength meaning it has the potential to withstand heavy rains and flooding without deteriorating. Adding LSS to the tarpaulin roof panels offers a durable waterproof cover for shelters. Fire Resistance : Following a devastating fire in Camp 11, fire tests were conducted on LSS-coated bamboo shelters. The results were staggering—while a traditional shelter burned down in five minutes, the LSS-plastered shelter remained intact even after 20 minutes of intense flames. Thermal Performance : The piloted LSS shelters provided much-needed insulation, keeping indoor temperatures significantly cooler during extreme heat waves. Involving the community: Although building with lime needs attention to detail and a closely followed process, it is not overly technical or complicated. This enabled community participation from Rohingya women and men, some of whom had past experience of plastering their homes before fleeing conflict. A fire test comparing the performance of a standard bamboo shelter (left) with an LSS plastered shelter (right). The design has since been modified to include an LSS roof screed to protect the roof from fire. Image (C) Bee Rowan. Scaling Up: A Major Breakthrough Thanks to the pilot's success, the Bangladesh government approved a pilot for IOM to build 50 LSS plastered shelters and LSS stabilised paths and steps. The shelters have performed well, leading to additional funding for IOM to build over  2,000 LSS shelters  as firebreaks across the camps. This is the first time LSS has been used at such scale in the camps and the hope is that quality practices can be maintained despite the pressures for volume building on a tight schedule. LSS-rendered Bamboo shelters built by IOM in Cox's Bazar (c) Bee Rowan The future for LSS Shelters in Displacement settings With growing interest from other organisations,  LSS has the potential to be used worldwide for shelters built following disaster and displacement. It has already been successfully used in Pakistan and Nepal, for reconstruction of homes destroyed by flooding and earthquakes showing that LSS is an adaptable material which can be used in many adapted vernacular designs. By reducing reliance on expensive and unsustainable materials, it offers a practical, scalable solution for safer, more resilient shelters in crisis-affected communities. Training key to success One of the key factors in the successful implementation of LSS is hands-on, in-person training. By engaging local engineers and communities directly, trainers ensure that knowledge is effectively transferred and adapted to the specific needs of each community and environment. While most soil types can be stabilised with lime, it is vital to get the right ‘recipe’ for each unique soil type and lime and pozzolan source. It is important that both donors and implementers understand that building with lime takes time and investment in monitoring mixes to ensure quality. To accompany training, Strawbuild and IOM have produced a guide to Lime Stabilised Soil building, available at: https://www.scribd.com/document/663893347/Lime-Stabilized-Construction-A-Manual-and-Practical-Guide   An LSS community training workshop in Nepal Re-Alliance are working on an online course which will include building with LSS as part of a regenerative shelter module. We are looking for examples of where Lime has been used in reconstruction or shelter provision, so please get in touch to share learnings. A rare opportunity in a challenging context New building materials are seldom approved for use in the Rohingya camps, so the government approval of LSS is a rare opportunity coming at a time when the Rohingya people are at greatest risk from aid cuts. It remains to be seen if quality assurance can be maintained in the face of tight deadlines and demands for quantity, but the more that agencies can work together to share learnings and skills and invest in training, the better the chances that LSS can achieve its potential. LSS represents a rare beacon of hope in the most challenging of contexts and could offer the Rohingya people access to shelters that are safer from fires, cooler in scorching temperatures and watertight in the heavy monsoons.

Severe cuts to international aid budgets have left millions struggling to meet their basic needs, from food and water to healthcare and housing. Funding reductions have affected communities across the Global South, particularly those already vulnerable due to conflict, displacement, and climate-related disasters. These cuts expose the failures of a system that fosters dependency while offering no long-term solutions. While aid remains crucial, this crisis underscores the urgency of supporting locally-led regenerative solutions that strengthen resilience and reduce reliance on external policies. For example, in Kenya’s Kakuma refugee camp, which shelters approximately 300,000 refugees, food rations have been reduced to just 40% of the minimum requirement due to funding shortfalls, leading to protests and clashes with police ( The Guardian ). In Malawi, severe funding reductions have forced humanitarian organisations to scale back food aid programs, leaving thousands of families facing acute hunger amid a worsening climate crisis ( Reuters ). Meanwhile, in Bangladesh, the United Nations has warned that food rations for Rohingya refugees may be cut in half due to ongoing funding shortages ( Reuters ). The recent aid cuts must serve as a wake-up call for the humanitarian and development sectors. We cannot continue relying on an extractive aid model that is at the mercy of political and economic shifts in donor countries. Instead, we must prioritise decolonial, solidarity-based, and non-extractive frameworks that place power and resources directly in the hands of communities leading their own regeneration. The False Promise of Aid Dependency For decades, mainstream humanitarian and development models have operated on a system of dependency, where communities facing crises are positioned as passive recipients of aid rather than active agents of their own recovery and regeneration. This model, while sometimes necessary in acute emergencies, has ultimately disempowered communities, reinforcing cycles of vulnerability rather than breaking them. Now, with drastic funding cuts, communities are left with even fewer resources to navigate increasingly complex challenges. These reductions are being imposed while we witness the sharp rise in extreme weather events, growing displacement crises, and widening inequalities. The logic is baffling: when the need is greatest, support is being withdrawn. Strengthening Resilience: The Power of Regenerative Approaches This crisis, however, underscores why shifting away from externally driven aid models towards strengthening grassroots agency is more essential than ever. Regenerative approaches  - such as those grounded in Agroecology, permaculture, indigenous knowledge systems, and nature-based solutions - offer a path towards true resilience. These approaches not only address immediate survival needs but also restore ecological and social health, ensuring that communities are equipped to withstand and adapt to future challenges. Winnie and Jean-Paul from the YICE Uganda team show the compost hey have been able to make using their ecological sanitation latrines. Across various displacement settings, regenerative projects are already proving their effectiveness in building resilience beyond aid dependency: Community Composting (Uganda – UNIDOS) :  By turning organic waste into nutrient-rich compost, UNIDOS, a refugee-led initiative, is improving soil health and enabling food production in settlements. This reduces reliance on external food aid and ensures families can cultivate their own food, enhancing their autonomy and long-term food security. Urban Agriculture (Cameroon – MOCGSE , Greece – Sporos Regeneration Institute ):  In Cameroon, MOCGSE has helped displaced communities reclaim underutilised spaces to grow fresh vegetables, reducing dependency on fluctuating food aid. In Greece, Sporos Regeneration Institute has trained refugees in Athens to establish urban and rooftop gardens, providing direct sources of nutrition and opportunities for cooperative food sales. EcoSan Latrines (Uganda – YICE ) : YICE Uganda has introduced Ecological Sanitation (EcoSan) latrines in Nakivale refugee settlement, providing families - particularly those with disabled members - access to safe, dry toilets. These composting latrines transform human waste into nutrient-rich compost, which is then used to improve soil fertility for local food production. This closed-loop system reduces health risks, enhances agricultural productivity, and ensures that communities have sustainable sanitation solutions that do not depend on external aid. Home Gardens (Bangladesh – BASD ):  BASD has pioneered permaculture home gardens for displaced families and low-income households, demonstrating that even small spaces can be transformed into productive, diverse food-growing areas. These gardens improve food security, restore degraded land, and allow families to supplement their diets without depending on volatile aid supplies. Lime Stabilised Soil (Bangladesh – Bee Rowan & IOM ):  Re-Alliance supported LSS expert Bee Rowan to train Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar, collaboration with IOM,  to use locally available lime-stabilised soil to construct fire-resistant and durable shelters. This method reduces reliance on expensive imported building materials and empowers refugees with construction skills for long-term housing stability. By investing in regenerative solutions like these, communities can build food sovereignty, restore degraded landscapes, and create sustainable livelihoods. Unlike traditional aid models that impose external solutions, regenerative approaches center the knowledge, skills, and agency of those most affected by crisis. This is the foundation of genuine resilience - one that does not depend on volatile international aid budgets but rather on strengthening local systems of mutual aid, ecological stewardship, and cultural regeneration. Taking Action for a Resilient and Regenerative Future Now is not the time for retreat. Now is the time for transformation. It is time to move beyond dependency and towards regenerative resilience - where communities have the tools, knowledge, and resources to determine their own futures, free from the whims of donor countries. Aid cuts are leaving communities more vulnerable than ever, but grassroots solutions already exist, they just need support.  At Re-Alliance, we are committed to amplifying and supporting this essential work. Join Re-Alliance  today to connect with the expertise of over 300 organisations engaged in regenerative approaches. Together, we can collaborate, share knowledge, and implement real, community-led solutions that ensure long-term stability and autonomy. As part of this mission, Re-Alliance, in collaboration with YICE Uganda , is developing a pioneering community-led settlement design project that will create a replicable, regenerative settlement model for displaced communities. This initiative integrates housing, food production, sanitation, and renewable energy through participatory community planning, setting a new standard for humanitarian response. Your contribution - whether through funding, technical expertise, advocacy, or otherwise - can support us in making this vision a reality. We invite you to join us in this urgent and transformative work, email us at contact@re-alliance.org  to discuss how you can support this effort financially, with your expertise, or in other ways. Join us in supporting community-led regenerative solutions. Because resilience, sovereignty, and regeneration are not just possible, they are essential.

For decades, refugee communities have found ways to grow food in even the most challenging environments. In Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, home to the largest Rohingya refugee camp in the world, home gardens have emerged as a crucial strategy for improving food security, health, and well-being. A recent research project conducted between 2022 and 2025 by Re-Alliance, in collaboration with the Food Security Cluster and Rohingya student researchers from the Asian University for Women, examines the costs and benefits of these gardens. The Growing Need for Food Security With cuts in humanitarian aid, the Rohingya population in Cox’s Bazar has faced severe food shortages. In 2023, food assistance was reduced to $8 per person per month, increasing only marginally over time. While this has since been increased in line with earlier figures, recent changes by large governments in relation to the provision of aid, mean that food subsidies continue to be threatened and will, for the immediate future be cut to 50% of what were already minimal rations. With limited resources and high levels of food insecurity, organisations such as the World Food Programme (WFP), FAO, BRAC, and others have introduced home gardening as a sustainable food source. However, growing food in Cox’s Bazar is not easy. Limited space, poor soil quality, extreme weather, and pests create significant challenges. Despite this, over 1,000 small gardening projects were recorded in 2022, demonstrating a substantial investment in food-growing initiatives. By 2023, 14 organisations were actively involved in these programs, with various levels of success and impact. In densely populated areas like Cox's Bazar, organisations like BASD encourage residents to grow in whatever spaces they can, including on rooftops and along fences. Evaluating Success: How Do Home Gardens Help? The research surveyed 14 organisations implementing home gardening programs and interviewed 159 refugee households. The study sought to answer key questions: Are home gardens still being effectively used? What are the costs, inputs, and approaches of different organisations? What benefits do households experience in terms of food security, health, and well-being? Can home gardens compensate for reductions in food aid? Findings: A Mixed Picture of Challenges and Successes The results showed that 93% of gardens remained in use seven to eleven months after being established. Households reported numerous benefits, including: Improved food security : Many families had better access to fresh vegetables, reducing their dependence on external aid. On average, households with gardens harvested a wide range of produce annually, between 7-195 kg, depending on the organisation supporting them. Health benefits : Respondents reported increased energy, better nutrition, and improved overall well-being. Some families noted weight gain and fewer illnesses. Income generation : Some households earned between 100-2,500 BDT by selling surplus produce, helping them supplement their household income. Psychosocial benefits : Green spaces contributed to mental health, reduced stress, and provided a sense of home, particularly for women and elderly members of the community. Costs and Yields: Breaking Down the Figures A comparative analysis of the different organisations implementing home gardens revealed significant variations in investment and outcomes: Action Aid : Invested 33.6 million BDT ($276,000) for 10,000 gardens, costing approximately $27.6 per garden, with an average yield of 195 kg per household. BRAC : Spent 97 million BDT ($797,000) for 15,000 gardens, with a per-garden cost of $53 and an average yield of 180 kg. Concern (BRPM & SARPV) : Costs per garden ranged from $11.7 to $11.8, but yields were lower at 7-12 kg. Dan Church Aid : Spent 72.8 million BDT ($600,000) for 5,000 gardens, at a cost of $12 per garden, yielding 50-60 kg per household. Mukti : With a budget of 440,800 BDT ($36,000) for 6,500 gardens, the per-garden cost was only $5.5, yet some recorded household yields of up to 626 kg. BASD Permaculture Approach : Cost per garden was estimated at $13.2 for training and stipends, with host community gardens yielding up to 1,000 kg per year, significantly outperforming other interventions. As can be seen from these results The Bangladesh Association for Sustainable Development (BASD) a chieved far higher yields than other projects. While they were surveyed 5 years after training, and other projects just under one year, it could be that yields in other places would improve significantly over time. Additionally, different ways of reporting and recording between organisations make a direct comparison difficult to achieve. Nonetheless, results indicate that while Permaculture approaches required more training and effort initially, they resulted in significantly higher yields over time, making them a more sustainable option. Challenges in Home Gardening Despite the benefits, refugees faced significant obstacles: Space constraints : Many gardens had to rely on vertical or rooftop gardening due to limited land. Rooftop gardens, however, were vulnerable to extreme weather conditions. Climate-related threats : Flooding, monsoons, droughts, and high winds often damaged crops and eroded topsoil, making consistent gardening difficult. Lack of tools and resources : Refugees reported needing more bamboo, seeds, and water-saving techniques to sustain their gardens. Many also lacked fertilizers and pest control solutions. Cultural and gender barriers : Some women found it difficult to engage in gardening activities due to social norms and restrictions, particularly in tasks like climbing onto rooftops or managing composting. Some of these challenges are apparent in the much higher yields gained by all organisations working with host communities, where hosts have better soils, more space and a greater familiarity with the local environment.  Salam, this is my tiny permaculture garden. I do not have extra space for gardening. I got PDC from BASD and started gardening. My neighbours also followed me observing my garden. I didn't know much about gardening earlier but now I know its importance, good food and poisonous food. I planted in a very small area some plants of bottle gourd, sweet pumpkin, bringet, chilli, tomato etc. Me and my family members enjoy food from our garden. I do sell a surplus of vegetables. I give thanks to BASD for giving us such a beautiful training.  - Siraj of Camp 19 at Cox's Bazar shares his garden and experience of working with BASD Is Permaculture the Answer for Refugees? Initially it would seem that Permaculture can make a significant difference.  Bangladesh Association for Sustainable Development (BASD) have for 6 years helped households integrate regenerative, self-sufficient gardening practices using composting, water conservation, and organic methodologies. Their methods involve training community leaders, who then teach others, creating a cascading effect. First introduced into Bangladesh by Rosemary Morrow, a renowned Permaculture teacher, author and co-founder of Re-Alliance's sister organisation Permaculture4Refugees , in 2018 they claim to have started the campaign for home gardening in Cox’s Bazar and established the very first gardens. They are now offering training to other organisations. Rosemary Morrow published  ‘The Earth Restorer’s Guide to Permaculture’ in 2022 and the director of BASD has since translated this entirely into Bengali.  Their Permaculture training consists of a 72 hour course spread over 15 days, significantly longer than the 5 hour or 5 day trainings that other organisations offered to home gardeners. Rather than provide them with tools or seeds they offer each a small stipend, (around $10 USD), to purchase these things, encouraging them to share knowledge, tools and seeds with the others they train. This creates a sense of ownership among gardeners who become social innovators at the same time.  Despite BASD trainees being surveyed 5 years after training while other gardens were seen up to one year later.compared to traditional gardening approaches, Permaculture yielded significantly higher returns. Their approach required minimal financial input after the initial setup, proving to be a cost-effective and sustainable solution. Additionally, Permaculture-trained households reported greater resilience against climate challenges due to improved soil quality and water management techniques. What Can Be Done Next? The study highlighted key recommendations for future interventions: Develop better evaluation methods : Traditional cost-benefit analyses fail to capture the full impact of gardening initiatives. New metrics that consider social and psychological benefits are needed as well as more consistent approaches to record keeping by different organisations within the food security cluster.  Incorporate traditional agricultural knowledge : Programs should be designed with input from refugees who have farming experience. This can help improve crop selection and farming techniques in the camp environment. Scale up successful interventions : Permaculture and other regenerative approaches should be expanded. Training should be provided not just for growing food, but also for seed saving, composting, and climate adaptation techniques. Recognise non-food benefits : The psychological and social impacts of gardening should be considered in program planning. Green spaces can contribute to well-being, stress reduction, and community bonding. Improve access to resources : Providing better tools, seeds, water-saving irrigation methods, and training opportunities can increase the sustainability of home gardens. Conclusion Home gardens in Cox’s Bazar have proven to be more than just a means of food production. They empower refugees, provide nutritional and economic benefits, and contribute to mental well-being. While challenges remain, investing in regenerative approaches inspired by Permaculture can enhance the long-term resilience of displaced communities. With ongoing support and innovation, home gardening could become a vital strategy for ensuring food security and dignity for the Rohingya and other refugee populations worldwide. By refining approaches, integrating traditional knowledge, and ensuring long-term sustainability, humanitarian organisations can make a lasting impact in these vulnerable communities.

When disasters strike, saving lives becomes the top priority. In the urgency and chaos of immediate response, speed can take precedence over long-term planning or ecological considerations. The humanitarian sector is structured to respond rapidly, often relying on pre-designed plans to deliver aid and address critical needs. But what could it look like if these immediate responses to disasters could also be regenerative? Could we find ways for responses to be holistic, culturally embedded, and inspired by the ecosystems they are part of? How might we integrate environmental care and nature-based solutions into our rapid response? When we consider regenerative responses, we often focus on the time before or after disasters. We usually either think about Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) to grow resilience before a disaster - or, as Sarah Queblatin reframes it - Designing for Resilience and Regeneration . Then after a disaster and initial response has occurred, we come to recovery and redevelopment, where there are many excellent examples and case studies of Regenerative and Permaculture designed approaches  to meeting the needs of communities who have faced, or even been displaced by, disasters. Tinka John of KAFRED Uganda  emphasises, "Firstly, it’s about awareness and education. We need to teach people how to read and understand their ecosystems. If they know the importance of each element of an ecosystem and how they relate to one another, they might understand the importance of healthy ecosystems and eventually may know how to build the health and resilience of their ecosystems. That way, they can better respond to disasters and shocks." Tinka’s insight points to the need for ecological literacy, where people can read their landscapes and respond to its needs when it’s damaged. When communities have a deep understanding of their local ecosystems they can act as stewards, leveraging the interconnections within living systems to recover more effectively. Yet still, this speaks to learning which needs to happen months or years before a disaster strikes. It can take years to become socialised into nature-inspired ways of thinking. So what about times of urgent and emergency need? What about the moments when crises unfold? Can we still embed regenerative design principles into the way we act in emergencies? Ecological, Regenerative Design in Rapid Disaster Response Conventional humanitarian responses rightfully prioritise speed and efficiency, yet this often comes through a standardised approach across many contexts. This approach saves lives, and that should always be a top priority. However, standardised approaches can often overlook opportunities for cultural alignment and ecological care. To a regenerative or Permaculture designer, the idea of acting in a ‘high speed’ way might seem counter intuitive. As Permaculture designers, we’re taught to be slow and to take time to observe. But in times of need, a rapid regenerative response is called for.  We can ask ourselves:  How might we work with nature, rather than against nature, in this scenario?  How might we integrate culturally significant practices, rather than erase them?  How might we use locally available and renewable resources where possible? Disaster-struck agrarian, land-based, indigenous or peasant communities often already respond in this nature-centric way, through cultural wisdom, necessity, and because disaster relief agencies may not be able to respond as quickly as needed. Ideas of what a nature-based response looks like in practice already exist, but humanitarian actors will need more solid plans in order to scale out these solutions. What is needed is an adaptable, regenerative process and plan that country offices of humanitarian agencies can work with to co-create a rapid response with their communities, in advance of when disasters happen. With climate chaos already wreaking havoc across the world, and with this set to increase, every community will need a plan. What’s needed for an Adaptive Rapid Regenerative Relief Plan An Adaptive Rapid Regenerative Relief Plan (A3RP) must be, as the name suggests, adaptive. Arguably, it wouldn’t be regenerative if it wasn’t adaptable, because all cultures and ecosystems have uniquenesses, and as such need a unique approach that integrates local elements rather than a ‘one size fits all’ solution. Regenerative approaches look different depending on the context, and they also go beyond ‘doing no harm’, seeking to grow the health of the communities and ecosystems they are part of. An A3RP could have a common structure ( an example community consultation guide is suggested here ) to make it easier for humanitarian organisations to operationalise and implement, but crucially it would integrate processes and plans inspired by living systems. Consultation and design processes should include the communities affected to integrate cultural wisdoms, traditional ecological knowledge, and also to build community cohesion. An A3RP approach may include: Ecosystem-Inspired Designs Healthy systems in nature are adept at responding to shocks. Left to its own devices after a wildfire, life takes mere moments to re-root and begin the (albeit slow) process of regrowth. Or for another example we could look to the flood defence skills that mangroves teach us, softening the blows of damaging coastal weather. Disaster response plans can mimic these systems by incorporating strategies found in nature: growing wind breaks and natural barriers; restoring degraded landscapes to slow, store and sink water; or using biomimicry to design infrastructure that can withstand environmental stressors. Traditional Ecobuilding Practices Many indigenous, land-based, peasant and traditional cultures have long histories of constructing shelter using renewable, locally sourced materials. These methods are often intrinsically aligned with their landscapes, sometimes looking almost as if they have emerged from the land. Crucially, they can sometimes be quicker to implement than Western-style shelter, though sometimes with a more complex materials supply chain (as you can't necessarily buy the materials quickly from a supplier, but may have to find renewable, living materials locally and test them for effectiveness). Ecobuilding for immediate post-disaster offers models for housing that if respectful of local culture, reduces dependency on external resources, and minimises carbon costs of flying or shipping materials. One example of these is traditional Filipino bamboo vernacular, which has been known to withstand strong typhoons. Celebrating Local Uniquenesses Food security is critical in immediate disaster responses, and a regenerative response would look toward locally adapted, preferably perennial, plant species to offer a source of food, fuel, medicine, and building materials, while also restoring and stabilising ecosystems. Similarly, local cultures may have found ways that are culturally significant to adapt to crises. Ceremonies and significant cultural customs can help communities come together to repair and regenerate after disasters or traumas. A Call for trialling Adaptive Rapid Regenerative Relief Plans in action A regenerative response is not necessarily a rejection of speed or efficiency, but a deepening of our understanding of the spaces in which we operate and the communities with whom we work. By learning from ecosystems and the wisdom of local cultures, humanitarian agencies can create interventions that not only save lives but also plant the seeds of ecological recovery and community resilience. As Tinka John reminds us, understanding and valuing ecosystems is the foundation for responding effectively to disasters. Whether through fostering ecological literacy, designing culturally and environmentally embedded plans, or leveraging the resilience of natural systems, a regenerative approach to disaster response has the potential to transform crisis into opportunity for both people and the planet. – Re-Alliance is an education and networking organisation comprising over 250 members applying regenerative approaches in disaster and displacement, and focussed on bringing regenerative solutions to the humanitarian sector. If you are part of a humanitarian agency and would like to discuss the A3RP approach in your contexts, reach out to the team on contact@re-alliance.org  or join the network at www.re-alliance.org/join .