On Fruitful Integration – How Urban Farming Can Turn The Refugee Crisis Into An Opportunity

Forced migration will undeniably be an inconvenient part of this century. Extreme climate events like droughts and floods will increasingly cause hunger and desperation, geopolitical tensions surrounding resource scarcity will cause war and conflict, more “structural adjustments” will reduce economic well-being and sea level rise will make land uninhabitable (1). Therefore, the refugee crisis is nothing temporary and successful integration into other cultures as well as harmony between cultures will become a centrepiece of the human mission.

Unfortunately, life in refugee camps is dire and conditions do currently not facilitate mutual understanding or propagation of hope. This is as true for developing nations - struggling to feed their own populations while hosting the majority of global refugees - as it is for developed nations. In general, the individuals and families are troubled with a lack of purpose, a feeling of alienation and not belonging as well as missing their home, friends and family members (2). The amount of highly educated academics is low while many bring expertise in skilled labour and crafts (3).

In developed countries like Germany, despite of large sums of money spent (4,5), integration is far from successful and public benevolence is under threat from populism and right-wing ideology. The refugees are often housed either outside dense city-centres with vacant land around them or in rural districts that lack leisure options. Furthermore, they are typically not allowed or able to work for the first 12-24 months, given the language requirements and bureaucratic hurdles (3). It is noteworthy, however, that human compassion drives armies of volunteers to teach the language, assist with administrative paperwork, donate clothes and utensils or help otherwise (6) – although many that want to help are not exactly sure how to.

In developing countries like in Kenya or Tanzania, the situation is closer defined by the word crisis. Massive food shortages and malnutrition, untreated sewage and disease spreading (7,8), no perspective to work, abuse of women (9) and sometimes inter-ethnic conflict (10). Although international funding is available, the need for medicine, nutritious food and good shelter can’t be fully secured by external NGOs and national initiatives.

So apart from increasing funding and fighting for peace and climate action on an international level, what can be done?

One potential solution is adopting an integrated system of food growing spaces and waste management, i.e. composting and potentially yellow water (urine) separation. Edible and nutritious crops can be planted and harvested in as little as 2 months in small open patches or simple plastic tunnels, organic waste and trimmings can be converted to soil on site, urinals can produce liquid fertiliser and rainwater can be captured for irrigation – all with minimal infrastructure requirements and quickly acquirable skills.

How can this improve the situation and benefit cultural integration?

There is a multitude of benefits addressing different aspects of the crisis. It improves food security, nutrition and self-sufficiency, it provides purposeful activity and skill-building (11), it facilitates integration and mutual understanding by knowledge exchange and harvest-sharing with the local population (12), creates a facilitated opportunity for volunteers to get in touch with refugees (13) and it will create new bonds and solidarity between refugees when managing the operation and cooking meals together. On top of that, it will reduce the alienation with food and its origin that is widespread in the Western world, it builds teamwork and hands-on skills valued by prospective employers (11), it increases biodiversity (e.g. pollinators) and soil quality, empowers woman and increases gender harmony, and educates about natural cycles and environmental protection.

The required capacity, space and interest to create such systems is also existing. In the developed world, allotment and backyard gardening is a common practice and carpenters, landscape gardeners, plumbers and mechanics are abundant. In the developing world, a large share of the refugees has likely been involved in farm work before and people are more experienced in manual jobs. Vacant and fertile land is typically available near refugee homes and simple drip irrigation and water collector systems can be used in semi-arid areas. The interest of the population to participate in such activities is also high these days – DIY culture, foodies, veganism, organic and local preference etc. – and this could provide the ideal outlet.

Despite the encouraging outlook, the obstacles and risks must be considered. The refugees themselves might not be interested in engaging into farming or waste recycling, the country or organization running the camps might not be in favour of the idea and in some instances the soil could be contaminated. Furthermore, the stealing of produce and vandalism could at worst create a spiral of distrust and antipathy. It is also crucial that best practices are applied and that participants understand basics of soil science and plant growth; else failed harvests could demotivate the participants.

A way to spark interest and involvement is to run successful pilot projects and let participants spread the message themselves. Early adaptors could share their learnings, be role models and help build these systems in other camps or accommodations and therefore act as local change agents for their fellow countrymen (14). The council or social entrepreneurs can create a network between volunteers, experienced gardeners and refugee camps to facilitate knowledge exchange and contact between individuals. The government can divert a tiny fraction of its funding to help with up-front cost. The initial infrastructure (e.g. wooden growth crates, water storage devices, plastic tunnels as greenhouses) can be cheaply manufactured in scale somewhere and shipped out (15). Digging of patches or planting of seeds can be done by school classes or already existing volunteer groups. The same goes for meal sharing or tastings. In general, the more involved everyone at this camp and the local community is, the less likely vandalism or stealing occurs.

To sum it up, urban farming endeavours between refugees and the local population can greatly facilitate integration and mutual empathy while increasing confidence, purpose, health, and connection to food and nature in individuals. The financial, logistical and social requirements are existing and there are ways to overcome the obstacles. The question remains who spreads the idea and propels the movement: local authorities, volunteer organizations, NGOs, altruistic gardeners and handymen, proactive citizen or – most impactful – a combination of them.

References

(1) https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/12/climate-change-migrants-refugees-european-union-environment/

(2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3168672/

(3) https://www.welt.de/wirtschaft/article162839446/Warum-kaum-ein-Asylbewerber-Arbeit-findet.html

(4) www.zeit.de/gesellschaft/zeitgeschehen/2017-01/fluechtlingspolitik-bund-ausgaben-haushalt

(5) www.faz.net/aktuell/wirtschaft/wirtschaftspolitik/arbeitsagentur-verschwendet-millionen-fuer-sprachkurse-14946879.html

(6) http://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/engagement-jung-weiblich-gebildet-fluechtlingshelfer-in-zahlen-1.3118324

(7) https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2017/feb/10/greek-refugee-camps-dangerous-inadequate-aid-workers

(8) https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/may/26/syrian-refugees-lebanon-shatila-camp-hell-water

(9) www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/01/rrdp-women-fear-violence-rape-refugee-camps-170123180556027.html

(10) www.cbc.ca/news/world/south-sudan-ethnic-divide-1.3779672

(11) http://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/refugee-urban-farm-south-philadelphia/

(12) https://politicsofpoverty.oxfamamerica.org/2015/11/can-an-urban-farm-help-solve-the-refugee-crisis/

(13) http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/article_c0cb4608-33b2-57f9-8ba8-c932cf08ae87.html

(14) https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/the-four-building-blocks--of-change

(15) http://www.carbon.org/catalog/pub/disasterkit.htm