Reflection: Between exile and belonging

The stories of Afghan women rebuilding their lives in Portugal show the resilience, creativity, and hope refugees bring to new communities. For Permaculture for Refugees (P4R), this highlights the importance of empowering agency, fostering skills, and creating spaces where people can contribute and thrive. Like permaculture systems, integration grows strongest when it’s adaptive, collaborative, and … Read more

A Story of Survival and Hope from Afghanistan

Kasim, who has been working with Permaculture for Refugees (P4R), has co-authored a moving and inspiring new book with his partner, Zar, titled Our Journey from Afghanistan: A Story of Survival and Hope. This deeply personal narrative begins with their childhoods in Afghanistan, revealing the harsh realities they endured—especially Zar’s experiences growing up under oppressive … Read more

Permaculture as a living practice of solidarity and resilience

In 2023, as political pressure in Pakistan intensified, the government declared its intent to expel Afghan nationals, placing thousands of lives in danger—many of whom had already fled conflict once before. Amid this crisis, a quiet but powerful effort emerged from within the global permaculture network. A group of dedicated permaculturalists, recognising the urgency and … Read more

When aid stops

Since the writing of this article in February 2025, the status of the U.S freeze on aid has changed. However, it still raises many questions US international aid represents 42% of global aid and just 1% of the US budget. When this aid is suddenly halted—along with nearly 5,000 USAID grants—critical networks that prevent starvation, … Read more

How permaculture ethics and principles guides designing solutions for Afghans to find a safe haven in Portugal

written by Eunice Neves End of July 2021, Rowe and I were conducting online interviews to permaculture practitioners who were applying permaculture in very challenging circumstances. The first people we interviewed were two peace activists, students of Rowe Morrow’s, who were using permaculture to redesign a primary school in Kabul. During the interview, we understood … Read more

Global support for Afghan permaculturalists

With the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, Permaculture for Refugees (P4R) connections with Afghanistan became a vital lifeline for our friends and colleagues there – peaceworkers, informal translators, and female academics – all of whom have gone into hiding or escaped to Pakistan. Some of us in the P4R network have joined communications … Read more