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Sustainable Village Resources (SVR) Kenya is a community based, non profit organisation, restoring lost livelihoods by creating natural, agro-ecological ecosystems. SVR is a perfect example of how a mutli-layered, socially driven permaculture project can have far reaching effects in community. From delivering Permaculture Design Courses to tree-planting initiatives, SVR’s multiple aims are to reach out to people overlooked, displaced or disenfranchised by mainstream social, financial and political variables and engage them in practical solutions to become self-sufficient and independent. Permaculture Teacher Caleb Omolo (right) with farmer receiving her Permaculture Design Certification (PDC). SVR has been running since 2012, reaching people in Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, DCR, Uganda and Southern Sudan. The key aim is to improve food security in the region, including everyone in the community, regardless of age, gender or ability. Other goals are to restore biodiversity, increase productivity and strengthen community through the use of indigenous knowledge and agroecological systems. There is a focus on permaculture as a key to regenerating soil and land and providing good quality, organic food. Some of the key principles that SVR work by are to build from 100% local materials, harvesting water for irrigation, no dig methods, building soils naturally and using no chemical pesticide inputs. These methods allow people to replicate the systems cheaply and easily in their agroecological zone and with a focus on accessibility for the whole community. Indigenous knowledge is the first thing to be assessed, so that this can be built on to tailor the context of the education to groups. What makes this Regenerative? Impact on Planet The training provided by SVR champions food production through permaculture design. This includes the building of soils and humus, water harvesting and management, applying no dig principles, designing multi-layered growing spaces and of course, obtaining a yield. Through designing food production with natural systems the impact on the planet is one of increasing biodiversity and a move away from reliance on synthetic chemical inputs. This has a positive impact on the land and local ecosystems. Impact on People This project particularly focuses on people care and the creation of a community of educators, growers and practitioners who are able to apply permaculture design for food security, environmental regeneration and social cohesion. A lower dependency on inputs such as herbicides, pesticides and growth enhancers means a lower financial output, a key area of focus for allowing farmers to improve their financial security whilst obtaining healthier and more natural produce. Organically, locally grown food also has a function in wellbeing, as people are able to trace where their food comes from, eating better quality and more abundant healthy food and feel a sense of ownership. Shared knowledge of permaculture also allows an increase in confidence and often better community relationships, which this project has been able to demonstrate. Knowledge and education are key areas of people care and SVR’s primary goal of integrating existing indigenous knowledge with permaculture design, allowing communities to put their own stamp on their particular projects. Regenerative Impact: whole-systems integration of people and planet, and improving qualities SVR has a regenerative impact in several ways. Firstly, their approach of establishing indigenous knowledge regenerates cultural and community based relationships within each area they operate. This allows each participant the opportunity to act as both educator and student, a mutually beneficial relationship with the programme leaders. Secondly, the reintroduction of organic and permaculture design principles allows the growing areas to regenerate, whether through soil quality, increased biodiversity or increased productivity. Water harvesting techniques are also powerful aspects of environmental management. This project seamlessly integrates people and planet, and SVR is actively involved in both the educational aspect as well as the physical implementation and building of the designs created during their PDC training. A great example of the application of this education is the Rongo shade grown coffee initiative. Scalability & Replicability SVR has already proven it can work across scales, having reached communities in Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, DCR, Uganda and Southern Sudan. The key principles of engaging the community, education and implementation are easily scalable to groups of many sizes. It is also a setup that can be replicated across many different communities. What's Next for SVR? Building on their successes, SVR has a network of permaculture practitioners throughout Kenya. They are now extending their work to Nairobi, and Kukuma in Northern Kenya where they are working with refugees. Additionally SVR are working within schools to educate children on permaculture, three in Kenya and one in Nairobi. Further Information Shade grown coffee provides habitat for animals including a fantastic foraging habitat for birds. In this system, the coffee is grown intercropped with trees. As well as providing a better ecosystem it also produces a better quality product, contributing to the needs of people and planet. Multi layered growing spaces are useful in permaculture design. They increase the space available for food production, create multi-layered systems that are closer to existing systems in nature, and they also provide microclimates, such as shade, moist or dry conditions or shelter from the wind. 350 former sugarcane farmers and 65 farmers who had former involvement in gold mining were able to grow coffee through polyculture design systems. These designs co-planted coffee with other species, such as trees, which increases the quality of the coffee grown and has improved yields of up to 5 times higher. The shade provided by the trees is a more traditional method of growing coffee, mimicking the conditions coffee favours naturally. The trees used for shade trees are often able to supply a yield themselves, such as fruit, giving the farmer a secondary income. Additionally, this set-up provides habitat for birds and plenty of other species. Each farmer involved in this project has been able to increase the amount of produce they grow and their income as a result.

Transforming Lives and Communities with Regenerative Agriculture in Uganda Background Based in Kases, Uganda, the Karambi Group of People with Disabilities (KGPD) was founded in 1995 in response to the discrimination, isolation, and exclusion faced by people with disabilities within society. Muhindo Josephat, Executive Director of Karambi Group of People with Disabilities, describes what inspired him to form the group: “Some of the parents here lock children [with disabilities] in their houses, then go away and leave them there. So I advocated that every parent who had a child with disabilities should bring that child before people, so that every person knows that in this household, is our friend, this person with a disability.” The members and leaders of the group, including Josephat, have disabilities themselves and use their insight and ingenuity to design accessible programs to fully involve others who have been marginalised, enabling them to use their diverse abilities to enrich their standards of living, their environment and communities. In 2015, the Group identified the need to improve the environment on their organisational land which was suffering from soil erosion and undertook a tree planting and education program to regenerate the land and invigorate those using it. Impact on Planet The group applied for funding to the Sustainable Lush Fund, who accepted the project and linked them with Re-Alliance members in Kenya who visited to facilitate a permaculture design by the local people with disabilities who used the land. The training enabled the group to give voice to the sustainable practices they already had in place which valued and maximised their precious human and natural resources: “We realised we were doing permaculture unknowingly!” (Muhindo Josephat) Regeneration of the land began in 2016 when the Group planted over 2000 trees and 100 fruit bushes and nursery beds were established. Image: Land before and after tree planting and vegetable gardens. Impact on People With a thriving environment to host activities, the site became a demonstration training ground for permaculture and conservation and in 2017, 50 people with disabilities were introduced to permaculture gardening and were given tools to start practicing skills at their homes. Through creating kitchen gardens, people with disabilities were able to create environments that were fully accessible for them to work in and grow their own food for feeding themselves, their families and for sale at market. The Group are fully engaged with the wider community and have partnered with eight schools and four community-based groups where they have empowered over 2142 young adults and 300 adults with food growing skills and permaculture principles. To support these projects they have installed seven irrigation systems in schools and 30 families have received water tanks. Working through schools has empowered disabled young people to become social transformational leaders, taking action at school, at home and in their community. The group’s aim is to see families grow organic food to feed their families and regenerate the environment. To date the group have planted over 30,000 trees which yield both fruits and wood. “In my home, I’m now able to do permaculture gardening - planting bananas, planting cassava, planting coffee - those skills are all from the Karambi group. It has improved me economically, administratively, and for being famous around the community!” Muhindo Josephat “Karambi has given me the skills to produce food to feed the children and myself on a balanced diet, and I can sell some to get an income. I have a group that normally goes to the market to do business - selling eggplants, tomatoes, onions.” (Fabis Sahan, a member of KGPD) Combined Regenerative Impact The discrimination and exclusion of people with disabilities means their innate energy and intentions cannot be used to positively engage and create in the world. Many systems in society are wasteful, the exclusion of people from meaningful activity and engagement in sustaining networks is perhaps one the most wasteful and dehumanising. In contrast, the engagement of people with disabilities in self-sustaining, enriching and regenerating processes gives health and resources to the environment and the individuals involved and enables the wider community to see the strength of fully employing the diversity of human abilities. Funding groups made up of, and led by, people with disabilities breaks down prejudice in communities and ensures a meaningful understanding of accessibility in programme design and implementation. As Muhindo Josephat, Executive Director of Karambi Group of People with Disabilities said: “After people learned about us, they no longer laughed at us. Now they come to us to ask for advice and get information - it makes us feel proud.” Muhindo Josephat Scalability An estimated 1 billion people – 15 percent of the world's population – live with a disability, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), and 80 per cent of these are in countries in the majority global south. Finding ways to enable these people to engage in regenerative practices has the potential to improve the health of the planet and people. Putting people with disabilities at the heart of programme design ensures insightful and locally achievable responses to promote accessibility. It also promotes leadership skills of individuals with disabilities, a key driver for societal change: “I have developed skills in talking before a lot of people - a hundred people, or a thousand people - I talk with no fear.” Muhindo Josephat The 2018 Global Disability Summit Charter for Change stated to “Promote the leadership and diverse representation of all persons with disabilities to be front and centre of change; as leaders, partners and advocates. This includes the active involvement and close consultation of persons with disabilities of all ages.” The summit has prompted commitments from the global development sector, including DFID’s Strategy for Disability Inclusive Development 2018-23. We hope that with these commitments, new and emerging groups such as the Karambi Group of People with Disabilities will be funded and supported. Read more from the Karambi Group of People with Disabilities: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Karambi-Group-of-People-with-Disabilities-Kagpwds-1778601005724190/?_rdc=1&_rdr Website: http://www.kagpwd.org

Picture above: The team from Earth4Ever walk with tribal farmers in the Mandakini Forest. “When we started with the project, we were working toward doing 10 micro-Permaculture projects in the same area. But what happened when we got on the ground, we were surprised that not every farmer was jumping out of their seats saying, ‘Yes, make us a food forest!’. So we had to spread out geographically.” Komal Thakur is telling us about how Earth4Ever’s project has changed over time. We’re speaking at a Regenerosity Peer Learning Circle, hosted online in partnership with Re-Alliance. Regenerosity is a collaboration between the Buckminster Fuller Institute and the Lush Spring Prize, aiming to increase the flow of capital in aid of regeneration. Their Peer Learning Circles were co-designed by Re-Alliance, and are spaces where regenerative practitioners working on Regenerosity funded projects can come together and learn from one another’s experiences. Komal continues, “Each space has such different context and factors. It’s taking us a lot more time to design each space. They’re so different. Going from a rice field, to someone who works on a slope, to a third with a stream that floods three or four feet deep in monsoon season.” Often when organisations design their projects, no matter the amount of careful planning and community consultation that goes into it, things change once you get on the ground. It’s not just problems or challenges that can catalyse changes. Permaculture and other regenerative designs seek to create wide, ripple effects of positive outcomes, often having many unprecedented benefits. Instead of setting rigid project milestones and metrics in the project planning stage, how can we stay open to emergent possibilities, and make visible the unseen benefits of working with complexity? While we were talking, Preeti Virkar, an ecologist and participant in the Peer Learning Circles from Navdanya, had been sketching in her notebook. She had heard Komal’s talk of flooding and sloped land, and offered a solution. Sketch above: Preeti recommended a terraced approach to working with sloped land where lots of water falls. Using swales to slow water, and trees and shrubs on the edges of curves to slow, sink and store water. Preeti told us, “We have a lot of rainfall where I’m from. We plant bananas and other trees to help slow the water. You can also check the slope of the land and open up channels to direct the flow of water.” When you make changes to the land, it affects the environment around you, for better or worse. Aparna Bangia from Earth4Ever told us that when the land is mismanaged, it can create challenges for the whole community. Aparna tells us, “If one farmer channels flooding off their own land, it could simply divert flooding elsewhere and to more farms. Or if one farmer sprays harsh chemicals on their crops, it can create soil degradation and biodiversity loss in surrounding farms too.” Contrarily, when farmers start growing organically and stop using chemicals on their land, it can create tension in other farmers who believe it could bring pests or disease to the area. Working at community level, rather than simply engaging with one or two farmers in the community, can create huge benefits and help to avoid wider land mismanagement. Arnima from Tarun Bharat Sangh explained their method. Tarun Bharat Sangh are known for creating large water harvesting structures in dry Rajasthan, transforming whole landscapes to luscious green. “We hold water design meetings. The whole community are invited and involved. We show them how this rainwater harvesting structure will affect their farms, and how each farmer can interact with it.” Regeneration is not just a set of techniques. It invites us to learn from nature’s patterns and traditional wisdom. For many, this can mean challenging and unlearning some of the ways we engage with other people and the land, reshaping ways of thinking. Changes like that seem easier when you bring your community along with you. Regenerative farmers are no longer outliers if the whole community is involved. So how can we create space for transformations needed at community level? Preeti offered an example of how demonstration can create real change. “On one side of the road, there was one farmer growing traditional varieties of cotton, grown organically and in a biodiverse system. On the other side of the road was a farmer growing BT Cotton, with pesticides, and in a monocrop. And when there were adverse and changing weather conditions, the BT Cotton was infested with pests and many of the farmer’s crops failed, but the farmer growing in a biodiverse way had a healthy, abundant harvest.” After seeing these impacts, the farmer who used pesticides was eager to learn more and change practises. It’s a story we hear repeated in many contexts: seeing the tangible effects of regenerative approaches can be transformational. And it’s often not the metrics on a piece of paper that will change minds, but hearing stories from fellow farmers or seeing the abundance of positive effects oneself. What would it look like to create space for this emergence in the way we design our projects, and the way that we report? --- Re-Alliance hosts online learning spaces about Regeneration. We can also work with foundations and organisations to design monitoring and evaluation solutions that integrate regenerative principles. If this is something you are interested in, please email us for a consultation and quote at contact@re-alliance.org.

Words and images by Magnus Wolfe Murray, a Re-Alliance member currently working in Bangladesh. Above: Camp 26, just down the road from Shamplapur. Fences are going up to surround all the camps, making freedom of movement even harder. And the feeling of confinement is ever more real. Shamplapur is a town on the coast an hour or so drive south from Cox's Bazar. A river estuary emerges here; a town emerged generations ago. From the 1970s, Rohingya people came here to work in the fishing boats; more people came in the 90s, many of them refugees fleeing Myanmar's military horror. And again in this most recent refugee influx in 2017. Perhaps mindful of their pressure, possibly by local edict, the numbers remained relatively low, at around a few hundred families. By late 2017 there were several thousand refugee families. They rented land from local landlords for their shelters, they worked in the boats, the tea shops, they shopped in their markets. Children were born, they went to the local schools, were raised with the locals. They grew up and married into the local community, had kids, lived a life. A classic story of migration and settlement. Then, this year, the central Government in Dhaka decided they needed to shut down this integrated community altogether. To every extent possible the Government wants to prevent refugees becoming permanent here. And integration with the local community - a big no-no. So Shamplapur is the latest example to be set, and it's quite tragic to see entire communities dismantled, the people given notice and a few weeks to pack. Using a pretext of national security concerns (despite the lack of any security pressures here). Local businesses are furious, they've invested in larger boats, now they lose much of their labour. Shops and markets will lose half their trade. All those young people raised here, now being forced to leave. The Government isn't exactly forcing them at the point of a gun, but it certainly isn't informed nor voluntary movement - which is what we hold up globally as a basic principle for a decent approach to population movements. Above: When things couldn't really get much more difficult, people are forced to move again. So where will people go? Most of the Rohingya communities have left already, trucked off to different camps inland. And many others to a new island the Government has developed called Basanchar, from where it's said they cannot leave or return to the mainland. All that said, it's really hard for western governments to criticize or even raise concerns, when we do so little we can be proud of with refugees on our shores. Throughout 2017, the UK accepted a total of 6,212 refugees (during the height of the Syrian refugee crisis). Other asylum seekers who show up on the shores illegally are locked up in quite appalling centers, from where, like those Rohingya in Basanchar, they cannot leave. Above: Picking up the pieces - a family after relocation from "outside the fence" in camp 26, where they had to dismantle their shelter, with quite old bamboo and material which couldn't be re-used - meaning they were forced to buy most of it again. But look for a moment at how other countries deal with refugee communities. The French Government closed the camps in Calais with violence and abuse. Literally burning and bulldozing the refugees and migrants out. Australia is perhaps the worst offender with its harsh policies of sending asylum seekers to Nauru Island, for many years, where eventually human rights groups exposed extreme levels of mistreatment, sexual exploitation and unfathomable levels of despair and depression brought on by years in a kind of purgatory where you're not allowed to work, study or progress in life. Whereas other countries seem to have a much more reasonable approach. Uganda hosts some 1.4m refugees (mostly from South Sudan). They're allowed freedom of movement, they can work, study, farm the land. In Turkey, the world's largest refugee hosting country, has 4m, mostly people from Syria. Again, they're allowed to work and live relatively freely, given special ID cards. A Turkish Doctor I met recently said it had led to a degree of economic development as factories and agriculture had benefited from the increased labour market. Pakistan and Iran too, for decades have accepted millions of refugees - most of them working, renting homes and starting businesses. And Germany welcomed about 1.8m refugees and asylum seekers - despite the criticism sometimes used that they only accept well qualified refugees. So the struggle continues. Shamplapur settlement, also known as camp 25, is one of 34 camps in total. One can't get too engaged on only one. The old adage of winning a battle but losing the war, perhaps translated here as knowing what you cannot change, focusing on the things you can influence, and trying to keep a level head enough to know the difference. Above: An area where other refugees were settled - but into a sunken basin of land which is likely to flood when the rains start. Is this a disaster waiting to happen? Words and images by Magnus Wolfe Murray, a Re-Alliance member currently working in Bangladesh. Re-Alliance aims to promote a regenerative, place-based approach to settlement design. For some examples of what that can look like in different contexts, see our case studies page here.

Summary Working in three IDP camp sites in A’zaz and Jarablus in Northwest Syria, this pilot project tested the viability of creating vegetable gardens to grow food irrigated in part by harvested rainwater and grey water. Growing plots varied in size from home gardens to community gardens in A’zaz and a school garden in Jarablus. The aims included introducing regenerative strategies to improve food security, mental health and community cohesion. The project started with training events including five successful webinars for our INGO sponsors and the production of a grey water booklet by SOILS Permaculture Association Lebanon to supplement their food growing guide for training the camp residents to successfully build gardens and grow food. The gardens were successfully established with food grown, harvested and eaten. The gardens were highly popular with camp residents, with many more requests for participation than the pilot could facilitate. The pilot provided for a group of 12 children growing at school, 70 householders gardening outside their homes and 25 gardeners in the community gardens. Bi weekly mentoring visits were undertaken by our partners while Re-Alliance conducted monitoring and evaluation and the production of learning materials including an NGO guide to using harvested rain and grey water. Background Research has shown the benefits of gardening to those living in temporary settlements by providing fresh and nutritious food, meaningful activity, a sense of belonging or home, and feelings of well-being, particularly in the wake of trauma. It has also shown how replenishing soils, creating healthy water cycles, planting trees and minimising waste can have an equally positive impact on both human and ecological health. In areas of limited rainfall and high temperatures, nearly all food crops will need additional irrigation water to supplement rainfall. By identifying and promoting simple, low tech options for capturing and re-using grey water and rain water for irrigation, and creating compost from food waste, growing food can become an accessible option for many households. Impact on Planet Creating vegetable gardens in refugee camps builds healthy soils through composting food wastes and sinking and storing water in the ground, improving the ecological health of the area. Plants encourage pollinating insects, a vital part of animal food webs, which add to the local biodiversity. Using grey water to grow food reduces the amount of waste water which has to be processed, reducing carbon emissions and the pollution associated with waste-disposal. Harvesting rain water holds water within the site and can reduce the damage created by run-off which can pour across sites, further degrading soils and damaging ecosystems. Growing plants is beneficial to supporting healthy water cycles by preventing soil erosion and increasing groundwater levels as well as by releasing water into the air through transpiration. As long as growing methods are organic - avoiding pesticide and fertiliser use and creating compost from local waste foods - growing food can be a carbon positive activity, actively reducing climate change by sequestering carbon in healthy soils and plant life. Impact on People Meaningful activity is an essential part of being a happy and healthy person. Work, whether paid or unpaid, can facilitate positive exchanges between people, strengthening communities, giving purpose, satisfaction and learning as well as a means to provide for basic needs. Many IDPs and refugees are not permitted or able to work, which can further erode the sense of identity that the trauma of becoming displaced can cause. In the absence of paid work, food growing projects can provide meaningful activity with tangible benefits. Designing, planting and tending a garden can create a feeling of home and ownership of place, improving mental health by bringing beauty and life into an otherwise barren and impersonal environment. Eating fresh, homegrown food can improve health and nutrition and allow people to create a taste of home by growing favorite foods that they may not otherwise have access to. Growing food can reduce household spending on food and creating compost from food waste and using grey water can further save money by reducing waste disposal costs. If surplus food is grown, it can also be sold or exchanged to supplement incomes. Sinking and storing rain water and using grey water can reduce the prevalence of standing water, often a breeding ground for waterborne and vector borne diseases, thereby creating healthier environments. Sharing knowledge about how to grow food without inputs in unfamiliar environments where the terrain may be different and the space reduced, will maximize yield for minimum cost. In the Syrian context we discovered that grey water reuse for food growing was commonly practiced before displacement so people were especially keen to start growing again and were innovative in their ideas for grey water reuse. Community gardens can strengthen community cohesion and can also be used to bring host and refugee communities together. School gardens were popular with children because they gave an opportunity to learn about the natural world outside the classroom and build skills for saving water and growing food that they could share with their families and continue at home. Regenerative Impact Root causes of mass migration often have links to climate change, water stress and the conflicts that arise from competing for increasingly scarce natural resources. It is a sad irony that refugee and IDP camps often perpetuate the problems of resource depletion and unsustainable practices in a bid to provide the vital services needed to keep people alive. Water is often trucked into camps and wastes pumped and trucked away, trees can be cut down for firewood and the earth cleared and compacted to make way for shelters and roads. It is, however, possible for human activity to improve and nurture the natural world. This often involves a process of turning ‘wastes’ into resources. Growing food using harvested water gives meaningful activity and nutritious food to people, while creating more beautiful green open spaces, reduces the financial and ecological costs of waste disposal and increases the biological health of the area. A regenerative approach uses planning and good design to make the best use of available resources and minimise the need for expensive inputs brought in from outside. Gardens need water and good soil. Capturing and reusing surplus water and turning organic waste into compost can provide a source of both and reduce the need for safe disposal of these. Scalability Our pilot projects showed that there is a high level of interest and engagement from camp residents to grow their own food and with few inputs gardens can be created and fresh food can be grown. Creating home gardens outside shelters is the easiest to achieve because it requires little land, less community co-ordination and simple water harvesting techniques can be undertaken with available resources. However, the volume of food produced is limited by the amount of land available. To grow at a larger scale requires plots of land to be put aside for community gardens or allotments. This is more easily done at the camp construction phase so that it can be placed alongside community buildings which can provide a supply of harvested grey and rainwater. Approaching the host community or local authorities may provide access to more land, and sharing land can help build relationships between communities, but does require coordination and facilitation. Replicability Promoting and advertising demonstration gardens which can be visited by local residents allows people to learn from others and replicate gardens outside their own shelters. This allows organic growth of ideas and ensures gardens continue to be constructed and maintained beyond the length of the project. What's Next for this Project? As part of the project a guide book was produced to encourage other INGOs to implement food growing projects in camps and settlements using harvested rain and grey water. We are actively looking for partners to trial this guide with please get in contact if you would like to participate. Our partner organisation, Syrian Academic Expertise, have produced a series of podcasts in Arabic to promote food growing within refugee and IDP camps and have been accessed by thousands of listeners. We are anticipating that the food growing projects within the existing camps will be continued and expanded, led by our partners Syrian Academic Expertise. Resources Guidelines for NGOs - Food Growing In Camps and Settlements: Collecting, Storing and Using Rainfall and Grey Water Guidelines for Camp and Settlement Residents - Gardening with Grey and Rain Water Presentations for Webinar Series: The Principles and Foundations of a Regenerative Response See the all the recordings of these webinars on our Youtube playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBZ8nxAf-ykR9gIdwNPG91k8Mp6ucnTz8

What happened in the Re-Alliance network in 2022? What are the plans for 2023? As we look at the changes to our world in the past year, we can see that regeneration is needed now more than ever. In a world challenged by war, the increasing cost of living, and the worsening effects of the climate and nature crises, it has been an immensely challenging year for grassroots regenerative groups. And yet amidst these challenges, Re-Alliance members have guided the way in showcasing how community-led regenerative responses to disaster, displacement, and development can be truly transformative and impactful. Read on to out more about what our members have been doing over the past year, and what projects Re-Alliance has been working on. Regenerative Guidelines Projects In 2022, we began collaborating with eight member organisations to launch pilot regenerative projects in displacement contexts as part of our broader Regenerative Camps and Settlements Guidelines project. The learnings from the projects will inform our wider research into regenerative responses to disaster and displacement and create content for further learning materials and knowledge sharing aimed at promoting grass-roots, community led interventions, as well as aiming to influence mainstream INGO activities. Keep an eye on our social media, as a second round of funding may be possible in 2023. Tune in to Re-Alliance Radio In 2022, we launched Re-Alliance Radio, a podcast series focussed on applications of regenerative paradigms, principles, and practices to the humanitarian and development sectors. In our most recent episode we celebrated the achievements of some of our members. Thank you to Sarah from Green Releaf, Jerry from Fambidzanai, Samatha from Nourish All, Bemeriki from Rwamwanja Rural Foundation, Noah from YICE Uganda, Bee from Strawbuild, and Paulinho from Unidos Social Centre. "I witnessed the true power of Permaculture for Refugees: community building and peace building." - Samantha Koches Webinars and meetings In the past year we also hosted some communities of practice alongside our sister organisation, Regenerosity, who focus on regeneration in philanthropy, and philanthropy for regeneration. We facilitated two geographical networks of amazing regenerative practitioners, in India and in East Africa, and supported our colleagues in hosting another Peer Learning Circle in the Amazon region. The peer group from India recently hosted a webinar for the Re-Alliance community, sharing their experience of being a part of this peer learning process. Looking toward 2023 Members' profile pages A core aim of Re-Alliance is to raise the profile of regenerative approaches to disaster, displacement and development. We aim to achieve this through facilitating the collection, production, and presentation of evidence and stories from regenerative practitioners to showcase the effectiveness and value of regenerative work. We've listened to feedback from our members that often those involved in implementing these approaches may not have much time to collect stories and evidence of their own work. As part of this we are creating members' profile pages on our website where member organisations have their own, individual pages. This will be a space to showcase the work of our members, and will be able to be searched like a directory, especially great for those who don’t already have much of an online presence. We aim for this to grow in its scope and functionality over time. If you are a member and would like to be included in this directory, we have created a short form in which you can enter all of the relevant information. We will then follow up with you to share a draft page, to ask for any further information, and to discuss opportunities for case studies and articles that we can co-create to support and showcase your work. 2023's new program of events In line with our mission to showcase and advance regenerative practice across the sectors of humanitarianism and development, Re-Alliance is pleased to announce the launch of two new series of themed events, each running bimonthly. Community of Practice Sessions invite you to join your peers in congregating around a guiding theme. Ask questions, showcase your work, share your knowledge and expertise, discuss your challenges, and receive inspiration and practical tips from the wisdom of the network. Each workshop in the Designing Regenerative Change Series focuses on a different stage of a regenerative design process. Grounded in regenerative paradigms and principles, and contextualised with inspiring real world examples from Re-Alliance members, you will be guided on steps you can take to bring your regenerative vision to life. A shareable poster outlining this programme can be found here. Additional events will be added during the year in response to member feedback and emergent themes. Visit re-alliance.org/events to keep up to date with all of our events and to add them to your own calendar. These events are open to all, and Re-Alliance members receive additional materials. If you are not yet a member, find out more and join our network at re-alliance.org/join. Wishing you and your communities an abundant, fruitful and safe 2023.

Micronutrient deficiency is an enormous problem in refugee settings. Transforming refugees’ food systems through the scaling up of kitchen gardening and fortifying relief food with nutrient-dense spices can help improve the nutritional quality of staple foods. Globally, spices are indispensable in the daily diet and play an important role in the socio-cultural setting of different communities. In new research by a group of academics, including Re-Alliance mentor Andrew Adam Bradford, forty turmeric and curry powder samples were collected from markets in East Africa to assess the potential of spices for providing micronutrients. The samples were analysed to determine the levels of micronutrients including potassium (K), calcium (Ca), zinc (Zn) and strontium (Sr). The study aimed to determine if a small portion of spices of between 4 and 5 grams would contribute to an adequate intake (AI) or recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for selected minerals. The results showed a range of contributions of turmeric and curry powder to AI/RDA for Potassium, Calcium and Zinc of between 0.48 and 4.13% while turmeric was identified to contribute more than 20% AI/RDA for manganese (Mn) and iron (Fe). The report suggests that turmeric and curry powder from East Africa are good, low cost sources of minerals and that turmeric in particular should be more widely popularised and recommended as a contribution to nutrition in refugee populations. Read the full report here:

Reusing water in times of drought As the climate and nature crises worsen, drought will continue to play a more regular role in all of our lives. In times like these, we need to make every drop of water count. In the summer of 2022, the UK and many other European countries entered drought. Many water companies have issued restrictions on the usage of water, like hose-pipe bans. While this might feel new to many people living in the Global North, many of Re-Alliance’s partners in the Majority World have faced similar issues for a long time, living in dry and precarious conditions or in refugee settlements and with limited supply to water. What solutions have our partners developed? In 2021, Re-Alliance partnered with SOILS Permaculture Association Lebanon, Syrian Academic Expertise, and Malteser International to develop a set of instructional guides for using recycled household water, or ‘grey water’, in vegetable garden settings. Grey water is water that has been used for activities such as laundry or dishes, where no harsh chemicals have been used. It is not water that has been contaminated with sewage (black water). There are many benefits to using grey water for small farming, vegetable gardening, and irrigating fruit trees. It can help to reduce water usage in irrigation, saving growers money and other resources. Grey water can be used for different purposes. For example, it can be used to water plants, clean equipment, or flush toilets. Learn more in the visual guide created in partnership with SOILS Lebanon here: Explore more in the publication written in partnership with Syrian Academic Expertise and Malteser International: Black and white printable format:

Rooting our crisis response in ethics and community solidarity In times of crisis, which by nature are volatile and uncertain, it might seem unusual to promote a response inspired by a movement whose name is a portmanteau of Permanent Agriculture or Permanent Culture. Why encourage permanence when only more impermanence is certain? Permaculture as a name and a movement emerged in the 1970s and ‘80s in Australia, coined by Mollison and Homgren. Originally, Permaculture was developed as a holistic design framework to approach ecological agriculture, but has since been applied to other areas of life beyond agriculture - from human settlements and eco-building, to social cohesion, art and culture, and landscape restoration. What began as a movement to help communities meet their food needs in a way that replenished ecological health, soon grew bigger, deeper and wider. But how can Permaculture relate to people who are displaced and living in refugee camps, or those affected by extreme weather and disasters? These situations are impermanent, so are permanent solutions appropriate? In her book Cultural Emergence, Looby Macnamara explores how our cultures and institutions are ever evolving and reshaping. Even in seemingly stable and wealthy contexts, our surroundings are always changing. Acknowledging this, as Permaculture and Cultural Emergence practitioners our aim is then to facilitate space to meet our needs within our ever shifting environments (Macnamara, 2020). The ‘Permanence’ in Permaculture, then, could refer to the permanence not of the systems we are designing, but permanence of the abilities to meet our needs. A notable feature of Permaculture, and one that is relatively unusual for a design methodology, is the inclusion of ethics. In times of crisis, the three ethics of Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share can be a guide for practitioners. In his book The Politics of Permaculture, Terry Leahy describes Permaculture as a grassroots social movement (Leahy, 2021). It is the inclusion of People Care and Fair Share that takes Permaculture out of the realm of individualistic response, and into the communal. Indeed, we know from those who have experienced displacement, war or disaster that it is often only because of other people that they are able to meet their needs. We often cannot be self-sufficient on our own, but when we invoke the power of Mutual Aid, of humans caring for other humans in a way that also cares for the living, ecological resources upon which we rely - this takes Permaculture into the realm of the political and the social movement. The ethic of Fair Share, by nature, feels anarchic. It is caring for our communities outside of conventional economic means. We distribute resources freely. We provide for our communities free of monetary charge, because our communities are the source of our own nourishment. This might seem in opposition to the neo-liberal agendas of some development agencies, which seek to mould and model every country in the Global South in the image of Western capitalism. Instead, Permaculture offers pathways to community resilience that live outside of conventional, capitalist culture. In some contexts, this requires some deep, transformational work to overcome conditioned individualistic wealth-hoarding, though in many cultures a sense of communality still remains. Permaculture is participatory. In times of crisis, the core ethics of Permaculture guide us to collaborate and meet our needs communally. This might be by mapping needs, distributing resources and offering Permaculture training like Green Releaf in the Philippines after natural disasters. It might be building Treebogs in refugee camps which meet people’s sanitation needs while also growing food - like Farming and Health Education in Kenya. It might be growing perennial crops, fruit and nut trees in public spaces so all locals benefit from free food, like the Incredible Edible network. It might be peace-building and community wellbeing after conflict and war, like Green Kashmir. While our solutions might have to be adaptable in times that are becoming more volatile and impermanent each year, Permaculture can offer us a framework and a way of thinking for us to respond to crises. Would you like to learn more about Permaculture and how you can apply it in your work? Re-Alliance can facilitate introductory webinars or in person courses tailored to you and your organisation, or connect you with a local Permaculture practitioner. Re-Alliance specialises in trainings for humanitarian and development organisations and agencies. Contact us here to discuss this with us.

Why is rooftop gardening needed in Gaza? In recent years there has been substantial urban expansion in Gaza at the expense of agricultural land. Current urban development policies and land use classifications have failed to protect and provide land for agriculture within Gaza, leading to densification and a loss of open green spaces. The rapid population growth has also caused significant water shortages, with the current annual need of 160 million cubic metres double the capacity of the Gaza aquifer. Heavy pollution of the coastal aquifer has left over 96% of water in Gaza non-potable. Bombings and other threats on Gaza’s singular power plant mean that over 2.1 million people live with only a few hours of electricity a day. The lack of land fit for agriculture, usable water, and an unreliable supply of energy has resulted in food insecurity for the population, with most donor agencies focusing more on food imports and donations rather than Palestinian-led food sovereignty, prompting dependency on international assistance and a vulnerability to market food price fluctuations. For these reasons, the agricultural sector could play a prominent role in poverty alleviation and securing the population's basic food requirements. To meet these needs, the Gaza Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture Platform (GUPAP) supports Gaza refugee families and local farmers to grow food within Gaza, using the limited resources of space, water and energy to their most efficient capacity. When there is no space left to grow on the ground, the gardens are moved up to the rooftops. The Project GUPAP are working on a pilot project creating rooftop food gardens made from recycled materials and low-cost local resources. Local seeds will be grown, saved and swapped, reconnecting the community with the heritage it has been disconnected from since the 1948 war. The first rooftop garden, for a refugee family in Burj Refugee Camp, will implement innovative techniques to save water and reduce the costs and environmental impact of production. Growing areas will be constructed from recycled rubber, up-cycled plastic bottles, reused wood, and locally produced compost and crops will be irrigated using drip irrigation and grey water. In Gaza, the role of women is estimated to amount to 71% of the population economically active in agriculture. In light of that, GUPAP is harnessing this experience to offer a training opportunity for their Women’s Agripreneur Field School. Furthermore, the creation of rooftop gardens helps to meet the need for green and socialising spaces by creating an area available to a section of the population that would otherwise not have access to it: women, elders, and children. The learnings and the outcomes of the pilot will be documented and to form an urban agriculture guideline to be shared with GUPAP local partners and UWAF notable members of House and Rooftop Gathering. Re-Alliance will also share learnings through the production of a series of guidelines showcasing different regenerative tools and technologies appropriate for situations of disaster and displacement. To find out more, visit GUPAP’s website here: https://gupap.org/en/ Resources B’Tselem, Water in Gaza: Scarce, polluted and mostly unfit for use, Aug 2020 (here) EcoMENA, Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture in Gaza: Perspectives, Feb 2021 (here) Efron S. et al., The Public Health Impacts of Gaza's Water Crisis - Analysis and Policy Options, 2018 (here) FAO, Country profile – Occupied Palestinian Territory, 2008 (here) ICRC, The Impact of the Electricity Crisis on The Humanitarian & Living Conditions in the Gaza Strip - Survey Study, Nov 2020 (here) Oxfam, Failing Gaza: undrinkable water, no access to toilets and little hope on the horizon (here) OCHA, Electricity in the Gaza Strip (here) World Bank, Agricultural Land (sq. Km) - West Bank and Gaza (here) About the author: Zoe Spanodimitriou is a researcher at Re-Alliance. She is a graduate in International Relations of Asia and Africa, with a deep focus on the MENA area. She has previously worked for the Italian University Network for Development Cooperation and has co-funded two cultural organizations.

This story begins at times of deep crisis. In 2013, Greece was experiencing a financial collapse. Almost half of the country’s population became unemployed. Poverty and homelessness exploded, while social support services together with most public services were breaking down. “It was like waking up from a life full of dreams, into a hopeless never ending nightmare.” -Michalis Challenged by poverty and food insecurity, and as a way to fight depression, a small group of people who lost their income from the financial crisis started to grow food in empty plots of public land around their neighbourhood in Thessaloniki. They called themselves Pervolarides (Gardeners). Gardening brought many neighbours closer. They started cooking together, forming supportive relations and a spirit of solidarity for helping those around who were most vulnerable or homeless. In 2015, another crisis began unfolding in Greece on top of the growing financial crisis. Thousands of refugees fleeing the war in Syria were now among the homeless in the city. The massive emergency needs also generated more solidarity, and Pervolarides were increasingly collecting food that markets couldn’t sell and cooking hot meals for vulnerable families and the homeless. By 2016, several groups of locals and refugees were coming together for cooking, gardening, beekeeping, food waste reclamation and redistribution, as well as production of sauces, marmalades and pickles. Since then, Pervolarides have evolved into a strong community and a local network for support and social cooperation; they maintain a collective multi-space where they cook, collect, process and redistribute 15 tons of food to people in need every year, and regularly organise environmental regeneration activities and ecological trainings for children, young people with special needs and for the wider community. So how does a small group of people growing food in empty land around the neighbourhood, lead to community regeneration? Filippos, one of the initiators of Pervolarides explains: “Following the evolution of our relations that form through embracing the food cycle - from seeding, cultivation, collection, processing and cooking, to reclaiming, reprocessing and redistributing food that would be wasted - we collectively grow our community and empower a holistic vision of social and environmental regeneration. "Through food collaborations, people learn about themselves and how to care for others and for mother nature. Through democratic and open horizontal decision-making processes, individuals and small groups become communities that regenerate their social and natural environment, take responsibility for their decisions and actions, and taste the fruits of their successes. "For 10 years we are an evolving grassroots voluntary movement for social mobilisation and cooperation, supporting and uniting people under collective solidarity actions. Our vision is not only to regenerate nature and our living environment, but also our relations and our community. We come together in democratic hubs where people of all ages, ethnicities and social status can connect and express freely and equally; empowering everyone to overcome exclusion and discrimination and to heal divisions and inequalities. "As we seek to become empowered and self-sufficient, we promote equality and fair redistribution of resources and inspire synergies that respond to common needs. We co-create activities and spaces where abilities, ideas and resources unite and shape dynamic social movements and strong supportive communities. Our holistic approach is extremely successful and easy to adapt based on activating small and flexible groups under a common umbrella, collectively forming a greater community. In this way, we foster social and environmental regeneration, and nourish resilient and responsive communities.” The experience of Pervolarides, highlights the two main factors that enable the regeneration of a community. Solidarity and social cooperation. And the way to achieve these, by expanding our social awareness of our common needs and by following the examples of nature. Nature always teaches us how to cooperate on the basis of sharing needs. Every crisis, (financial, refugees, health pandemics, war) brings people closer to a greater understanding of our shared nature and common needs. And as we join together on our collective need to regenerate our environment, as we become more aware of the interconnections between ourselves and our planet, we begin to understand the numerus ways nature can inspire our spiritual renewal, our social revival and the regeneration of our communities. “Our greatest ability as humans is not to change the world; but to change ourselves.” - Mahatma Gandhi

A Community of Practice for Regenerative Practitioners Working in Challenging Environments We are thrilled to announce the launch of a new series of community of practice gatherings for regenerative practitioners working in contexts of disaster, displacement and development. Re-Alliance is dedicated to advancing, promoting and showcasing regenerative practices in response to some of the world's most pressing challenges, and this community of practice is an important step towards achieving this goal. The online community of practice will provide a platform for Re-Alliance members across the world to come together and share their experiences, knowledge, and insights. By connecting with others in the field, members will enjoy a supportive environment, expand their knowledge, and stay up-to-date on the latest developments and best practices in regenerative work, and in particular how it can be applied in contexts of development, disaster and displacement. Each bi-monthly community of practice gathering invites you to join the network in congregating around a guiding theme. Ask questions, showcase your work, share your knowledge and expertise, discuss your challenges, and receive inspiration and practical tips from the wisdom of the network. The schedule and guiding themes for these sessions can be found below, and a more complete overview of Re-Alliance’s events, which will be updated as more are added throughout the year, can be found on our events page. Some of the benefits of a Community of Practice are: Networking: Practitioners will be able to connect with others in the field and build valuable relationships that can help them advance their work and work more effectively. Knowledge sharing: Members will be able to share their experiences, insights, and best practices with others, helping to promote the integration of regenerative practices in response to disaster, displacement, and development. Collaboration: The community of practice will provide a platform for practitioners to collaborate on projects and initiatives, working together to make a larger impact than those working in isolation. Re-Alliance is committed to fostering a supportive and inclusive community that facilitates the sharing of resources and support. We believe that by working together, we can help to promote the integration of regenerative practices in response to some of the world's most pressing challenges. We hope you'll join us in this exciting journey! To learn more about the community of practice and how to get involved, visit our events page, or sign up to join our network for additional members-only materials and to be reminded when meetings are happening.