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Care Beyond Crises

Shifting Degrees of Uncertainty

By Design or by Disaster Conference, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy.

17 – 19 December 2020 (7×7 format)

Marguerite Kahrl, Co-founder of Permaculture for Refugees

The conference Care Beyond Crisis addressed coping with crises through care. Care as a way of leading beyond crises by means of coping practices and a transformation approach.

Permaculture Design Course for Syrian Refugee women in Turkey, a project of P4R

Climate change, war, and natural disasters mean that people will be forced to flee from their homes and seek sanctuary more than ever. People, materials, and methods are required to convey the means to manage, scale-up applications, and learn to support vulnerable communities and those living in crowded environments. It is to be expected that Informal settlements will be on the rise.

As a group of experienced practitioners, the collective Permaculture for Refugees (P4R) is united in the belief that permaculture can address the systemic relationship between economic collapse, degraded habitats, loss of the relationship between people, and food security. We became convinced that training refugees in permaculture could offer a springboard to gain confidence and access other long-term social and economic integration opportunities.


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Food for crowded populations in an uncertain and compromised future

Northern Real Farming Conference
Permaculture for Refugees (P4R)
Panelists: Rowe Morrow and Marguerite Kahrl
Sep 30, 2020, 10:30 am –12:00 pm

The conference focused on just and sustainable farming and food systems in the North of England and Scotland. Run in partnership with @foodfutures and Oxford Real Farming Conference.

Against a background of uncertainty, and possibly cascading disasters, this panel provides a changed perspective for permaculture regenerative practices applicable to a range of variables and contexts.
 Permaculture is often used in rural settings, which don’t reflect the reality for the majority of the world’s population. This is set against an uncertain and rapidly changing world.
Working with refugees, P4R has gained experience in ways of life that are, unfortunately, likely to become common. With mass migration, crowded settlements will become a new norm in urban and rural areas compounded by economic collapse, global warming, and possibly further pandemics.
 Permaculture has the potential through its relevance to local bioregions and knowledge, and, working through principles to meet their needs. Facing an uncertain future requires people, materials, and methods to convey these to vulnerable communities and those living in crowded environments to the point where they can manage and scale up the learning and applications themselves.

Coordinated by @lessuk

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Meet, Share, Inspire

International Conference of Good Practices on Refugee Protection, Ankara, Turkey

25th September 2019

Organized by Support to Life (STL), Directorate General of Migration Management (DGMM), and Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe (DKH), with support of European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations.

Marguerite Kahrl taught Syrian refugee women in Turkey and here talks about the follow-up outreach she has been involved in:

This spring, I co-taught a PDC for Syrian Refugee women in Turkey with Rowe Morrow and Francesca Simonetti, in the capacity of Permaculture for Refugees. I returned to Ankara, Turkey later in the year to present the Permaculture for Refugees (P4R) project as a lecturer and panelist for the conference, ‘Meet, Share, Inspire: International Conference of Good Practices on Refugee Protection’.

Particular focus was placed on the PDC course which P4R held for Syrian Refugee women in Cesme, Turkey. Francesca Simonetti and Rafif Jijeh were also participants in the conference, thanks to the support of an American family foundation. Rafif, one of the few refugees present, had the opportunity to take the stage and give her testimony of the course to an audience of government ministers, conference participants, and NGOs supporting best practices.

Members of P4R: Francesca, Rafif, and Marguerite


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Workshop_40/ Wild energies: vento, fuoco e persone in movimento

Led by Marguerite Kahrl and Marjetica Potrč

PAV | PARCO ARTE VIVENTE | Centro sperimentale d’arte contemporanea
Via Giordano Bruno, 31 10134 Torino t/f +39 011 3182235.

Friday, March 20, 3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., meeting with contact persons
Saturday, March 21, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., participatory planning with groups

During a one-year participatory project, Marguerite Kahrl and Marjetica Potrč, working closely with residents, aim to make a new permaculture map of the neighborhood and an on-site project in the neighborhood

In contrast to maps showing urban elements such as spaces, buildings and their function, the new Permaculture map aims to trace how wild energy passes thru the neighborhood, including flows of wind, noise, water, people and plants in this highly transient neighborhood. The Permaculture map aims to build a new understanding of how to achieve a sustainable existence in a neighborhood in constant flux. The PAV neighborhood presents a great opportunity to understand the city in permanent change, and for residents to take action. The map can be used as a tool for residents to interpret the place in a new way, shape participative governance in their neighborhood, while redefining their lives and environment towards sustainable urban existence. Finally, Kahrl and Potrč will design an on-site project together with residents to show the power of the neighborhood and to start the transition to a more resilient community.

In contrast to maps that show urban elements such as public spaces, buildings and their uses, mapping using permaculture methodology aims to trace the natural, wild energy that flows through the area, including wind flows, environmental noise, waterways, people and plants that transit within the neighborhood. The permaculture map that will be created aims to build a new awareness of how to achieve a more sustainable existence in an ever-changing neighborhood. The area in which PAV is located represents a great opportunity to understand the changing city and the actions that its residents can promote. The map can be used by the inhabitants as a tool to interpret the spaces in a new way, to find forms of participatory management of their neighborhood and the possibility to redefine their life and environment in the direction of a sustainable urban existence. Marguerite Kahrl and Marjetica Potrč intend to promote a field project together with residents to show the strength of the neighborhood and initiate a transition towards a resilient community model.

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