GeneralPopulation

Human Permaculture: Some ideas on how to ‘Seed’ Information for Fertile Results

Seeds and Stories

In my previous article, ‘Human Permaculture: Looking at Migration as Flow to Solve Problems’ (1), I explored how we can apply permaculture water-designs to help people who are ‘flowing’ from one place along particular pathways to reach the destinations suitable for them in a way which can benefit those arriving and those already there. Applying such principles will need a concerted effort of communication among all those affected by human flow. This article also looks at other ways of applying permaculture-inspired ideas with people and technology.

If we can analogise the way in which people travel around as similar to water flowing, it is also possible to look at the way we use language and information as the ‘seeds’ which that water can nourish; or destroy. In our increasingly electronically-collected global information system, information can be used to help create huge blooms of beneficial change. Yet it is also important to consider where we plant such seeds, or whether or not we encourage certain types of language or technology, in order to best encourage growth which is mutually beneficial.
Seedbombs for travellers

The idea of using information as a way to help those traveling into Europe was suggested as a response to my previous ‘Human Permaculture’ article by Andrej Vesmir (2). As explored in that article, there are a small number of ‘crisis points’ in Europe where the number of people arriving into the place exceeds the amount of resources or infrastructure necessary to support such numbers. However, if networks of communication could be set up which provide up-to-date information about points of arrival, such ‘crises’ can be avoided as people will choose to travel to somewhere where their needs will be supported. Such informational ‘seedbombs’ could be in the form of some kind of open-source, easily accessible technology such as an app. As Andrej Vesmir suggested,

Lots of the refugees seem to have smartphones, perhaps an APP could be the solution? Perhaps locally printed CDs(DVDs?) Going viral is really the idea here.

Ibid. ‘Comments’ (2) Coyer, K, 2015. (see also for example 3)

As well as providing information about arrival points, such seedbombs could also contain ideas for how to set up a lifestyle which can be easily maintained and mutually beneficial to those around you once you decide to settle in a particular place. Vesmir made the suggestion that perhaps those who have created videos with such designs or ideas could offer them royalty-free as part of the seedbomb package (2).

Ideally, those fleeing from conflict or peril would, with the aid of such informational packages, find a new home where at least they are not actively in danger, and perhaps even begin putting down roots as part of a new community, utilising their own skills and passions to help to create mutually beneficial and sustainable systems. However, it is important to take into account the sometimes illogical-seeming institution of nationality and the laws and customs surrounding the idea of being a ‘foreigner’ in a new land.

Such laws are different in every country in Europe (see for example 4), as are the ‘quotas’ for the number of ‘refugees’ who allowed to seek asylum in each country. Therefore another really useful seed to put into the seedbombs would be information about these differing laws, as well as practical advice for what to expect if you do happen to find yourself without papers in said country. One website which is already providing these kinds of things is First Contact (5), which would be a very useful collaborator.

There are a number of other organisations throughout Europe aimed at helping people without papers, from long-established and government-mandated bodies such as the Refugee Council (6) in the UK, to newly set up grassroots organisations such as Refugees Welcome (7) in Austria and Germany, the ‘Resettlement Refugees Register for Landlords’ from Citizens UK (8) in the UK and Wemove.eu (9), a Europe-wide website designed to help create these vital connections between moving people and the places they are moving to.

Sprouting Seeds

The ideas outlined in this article are already becoming actions; this month saw the launch of Techfugees (10), an international multidisciplinary initiative to help to create just this. The first Techfugee conference was held in London on October 2nd, and attendees sought to provide technological solutions in six main areas:

1. “Build a way for [misplaced people] to locate and reunite with each other”
2. “Build a way to record and report” war crimes and crimes against people without papers
3. “Build a way for [misplaced people], and anyone they choose to represent them, to be heard so that their actual needs are met, and not those we suppose they have”
4. “Build an application that allows users to work out safe routes of passage, allowing refugees to share safe ways to reach their destination.”
5. Build an App that allows refugees to report trouble spots but maintains their anonymity.
6. Aggregate country-specific asylum and immigration information so that refugees can access information.”(11)

The conference brought together organisations from across the continent already working on diverse projects; from how to provide sustainable and participatory aid to those living in camps to mapping smuggling networks, and from using hacking to help migration to creating a ‘refugee airline’ which would provide safer, cheaper and faster ways of traveling which people could use legally rather than “trust their lives to illegal people traffickers” (12). This last one may be seen as controversial by those who advocate reducing carbon emissions; however, when looked at along with statistics such as one quoted at the conference that

According to the UNHCR, almost 3,000 people have drowned this year trying to get across the Mediterranean Sea to seek asylum in Europe

Hack Humanity, 2015. (12)

it seems that, at least while sea-travel is so dangerous, flying can provide a viable short-term solution.

New realities

Along with short-term solutions, the conference also seems to be key in creating a focal point of co-ordination in order to map the bigger picture and look at innovative ways of operating which will provide long-term keys to living together as humans. To do this effectively, we may need to use our imaginations. As Klaus Bravenboer quoted from R. Buckminster Fuller as part of his Hack Humanity (13) talk at the conference,

You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete

Hack Humanity, 2015. (12)

We are all a part of this building process. As the Techfugees initiative shows, we can make great changes in small spaces of time when suitably inspired. The groups and ideas mentioned in this article are a small taste; to check out more from the Techfugees conference, you could look at Andy Mayer’s blog post (11), and if that’s still not enough to whet your appetite, perhaps you could consider planting some seeds of your own.

Notes

Thanks to Jane Whyatt, Andrej Vesmir and David Ashwanden.

References

1. Haworth, C, 2015. ‘Human Permaculture: Looking at Migration as Flow to Solve Problems’. Permaculture News, 11/9/15. https://www.permaculturenews.org/2015/09/11/human-permaculture-looking-at-migration-as-flow-to-solve-problems/ – retrieved 18/10/15
2. Ibid. ‘Comments’.
3. Coyer, K, 2015. ‘A Harrowing Journey into Europe, aided by Apps and Internet Access’. NPR, 19/9/15. https://www.npr.org/2015/09/19/441754735/a-harrowing-journey-into-europe-aided-by-apps-and-internet-access – retrieved 18/10/15
4. European Court of Human Rights, 2014. ‘Handbook on European law relating to asylum, borders and immigration’. Publications of the Office of the European Union: Luxembourg. Available as PDF here: https://fra.europa.eu/sites/default/files/handbook-law-asylum-migration-borders-2nded_en.pdf – retrieved 18/10/15
5. First Contact, 2015. ‘Welcome to Europe’. https://www.first-contact.org/ – retrieved 18/10/15
6. Refugee Council, 2015. ‘About Us’. https://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/about_refugee_council– retrieved 18/10/15
7. Refugees Welcome, 2015. ‘Details’. https://www.refugees-welcome.net/#details– retrieved 18/10/15
8. Citizens UK, 2015. ‘Help find 5000 homes for Syrian Refugees’. https://www.citizensuk.org/help_find_homes_for_syrian_refugees– retrieved 18/10/15
9. Techfugees, 2015. ‘About’. https://www.techfugees.com/#about– retrieved 18/10/15
10. Techfugees Press Release, 29/9/15. Techfugees: London.
11. Mayer, A, 2015. ‘Techfugees in London’. Youmee, 10/10/15. https://www.yoomee.com/techfugees-in-london?utm_content=buffer2e03d&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer – retrieved 18/10/15
12. Hack Humanity, 2015. ‘Explore Who We Are’. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XU-TuiK1ezIyEcdgKfaxE9xj-RDkDYLdRGmKyL2mLHo/edit# – retrieved 18/10/15
13. Fuller, R. Buckminster, 1982. Quoted by (among others) Lebkowsky, J and Ratcliffe, R, (eds) 2005. Extreme Democracy. Lulu.com: California. Available as a free PDF here: https://extremedemocracy.com/ExtremeDemocracy.pdf – retrieved 18/10/15

Charlotte Ashwanden

Charlotte Ashwanden (nee Haworth). Born in London, I am very interested in peace and community and have a degree in Peace Studies. I got my Permaculture Design Certificate in 2011, from Treeyo at Permaship in Bulgaria, and my Permaculture Teaching Certificate in 2018 at Aranya in India. For me, permaculture is about so much more than garden design; I am mainly interested in applying ‘human permaculture’ as a complement to peace practices. In particular, I like to look at how human permaculture can be applied through psychology, communication and education techniques. In 2015 I got married in a pagan ceremony in a field to David Ashwanden and changed my surname to Ashwanden. With my husband, I’ve travelled a lot in Europe and Asia and encountered many permaculture and community projects. I have lived in various situations, from squatted land to intentional communities, as well as more ‘normal’ places, in the UK, Spain, Italy, Thailand and Vietnam. A professional dancer, I do fire and hula dance and sometimes run dance meditation workshops. Currently, I live in the Andalucian mountains.

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