Macedonian Refugee Camps Earth Restoration with Permaculture an amazing story

[Wesley Roe and Marjorie Lakin Erickson]

Hi everyone
	Just returned from a 3 Day Permaculture Course in Louisiana with Bill 
Mollison one of the founders of Permaculture. At the Course a group of 
Macedonian made a presentation at the course with Australian Permaculture 
Teacher and Designer Geoff Lawton who had  done the permaculture design for 
the Refugee Camp Restoration Cegrane refugee camp in Macedonia. Please read 
below from the webpage http://www.rudina.org.mk/english.htm  and hear there 
words of the Macedonian and how they have inter grated permaculture into 
their community as a result of Geoff help in the project. The idea is to 
present a new model of land restoration and community help in areas that 
suffer war and other human problems. The North West Louisiana Commerce 
Center in Minden Louisiana www.nwlcc.com where the course took place is an 
15,000 acre defense base once had arms manufacturing which is being 
converted to an Eco-industrial Park, and a Permaculture design and teaching 
facility. And A place for humans around the world to come and get 
Permaculture training so they can repair the earth and rebuild their 
communities after natural and man made disasters  like war . Training to 
put people on the ground all over the world with knowledge and training 
before disaster hit.

HERE IS THEIR WORDS FROM THEIR WEBPAGE

The war in Kosovo began in March 1999, bringing a chaotic situation to
   the Balkan region. More than 250,000 ethnic Albanian refugees poured
   into the former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia. Some were
   accommodated in temporary camps in northwestern Macedonia, and
   others stayed with host families in towns and villages. The camps were
   commissioned by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in
   cooperation with the Macedonian government. CARE International in
   Macedonia managed the 2 largest refugee camps: Cegrane and
   Stenkovic II.

Rudina Project - The Rudina site
   At the height of the crisis an estimated 47,000 refugees were sheltered
   and fed at the Cegrane refugee camp. This camp, located at Rudina
   Mountain in the Municipality of Cegrane, was the largest in Macedonia
   and provided temporary accommodation to the greatest number of
   refugees in one camp since World War II. An additional 4000 displaced
   people were accommodated in the municipality in private homes.

   The campsite occupied the 51ha former municipal rubbish dump site
   above the villages of Cegrane and Forino. The site is now called Rudina
   after Rudina Mountain which towers above it. In Albanian language,
   “Rudina” means “the dry place.”

   CARE International in Macedonia managed the campsite through to its
   closure in October 1999, and is managing the ongoing rehabilitation
   project.

Rudina Project - The rehabilitation process


   Once a peace agreement had been reached for Kosovo and most
   refugees returned to their homeland, rehabilitation of the vacated
   campsite was addressed. UNHCR, in company with concerned Non
   Government Organisations (NGOs), undertook to rehabilitate the site so
   that it would benefit the environment and assist in the economic
   recovery of host communities.

   The Rudina Campsite Rehabilitation Project is designed to be
   implemented over five work Phases. The intention is to create a
   sustainable Permaculture demonstration and teaching centre, and
   establish an understanding of Permaculture throughout Macedonia.
   Permaculture, derived from “permanent agriculture,” is a design method
   oriented toward developing sustainable solutions for agriculture and all
   other aspects of land and resource management.

   The project also aims to link with interested groups throughout the
   Balkans where other communities might benefit from information about
   sustainable agriculture, waste management and energy efficient
   construction practices.

   The Project has encouraged a number of civil society initiatives,
   including the strengthening of local NGO groups, assistance with
   municipal projects, and creating avenues for schoolchildren AND WOMEN
   to be involved in the project.



   Schoolchildren work on the site and on their own school grounds,
   establishing links with other schools through information partnering.
   Women’s teams have been active participants in the site design and
   implementation. This way, the project has also support the participation
   of women in community decision-making.

Rudina Project - Why a permaculture solution


   Permaculture is a system of design that seeks optimum results within a
   set of ethical guidelines.

   The principal ethical guideline is that outcomes must be sustainable.
   That means that solutions must take into account their impacts and
   outcomes, and be capable of continuing without degrading the
   environment. Existing methods and technologies are always given first
   right of inclusion in preparatory design plans, as local people have often
   solved similar problems in their own communities. Solutions and
   outcomes are then weighed against both scientific evidence and
   practical experiences from around the world, before the final design
   process commences.

   Another major ethical guideline for Permaculture design in our project
   is that stakeholders are entitled to a leading position in making
   decisions about the future of their communities. In this way the local
   communities and stakeholders are actively involved in the design and
   management process throughout.

   Demonstrations of a range of vegetation and technologies are also
   important to a Permaculture solution. Examples include:

             ·        Companion planting: Plants can be planted in company to
             help each other. Some plants produce chemicals and nutrients
             which assist the survival and the capacity of surrounding plants
             to grow, fruit, or flower. Some plants may help ward off
             insects or diseases for their neighbours, some might provide
             shade, shelter or support for others. There are many reasons
             for companion planting. The systems are drawn from the
             experiences and histories of gardeners and farmers from
             around the world.

             ·        Experimental work with introduced species. At the Rudina
             site we would like to give Macedonian farmers the opportunity
             to see exotic plants from all over the world such as herbs,
             timber species and vegetables. Some of these plants may do
             well, some may not. Farmers can at least witness the plants in
             action to see if there are any they may wish to adapt for their
             own businesses. Results of these trials will be posted on this
             website from time to time.

             ·        Integrated pest control will be demonstrated through
             companion planting, through the preparation and use of
             organic pesticides, and other techniques that are inexpensive
             and sustainable.

             ·        Humane Management of Animals, Fish and Insects is an
             important component of any Permaculture Centre. At Rudina
             we demonstrate such things as sustainable chicken
             management. The ‘chook clock’ is a system of yards
             surrounding a central chicken house, in the shape of a clock
             face. The yards are dog and cat proof, and are seeded with
             legumes, and grasses. The chickens are allowed into one yard
             at a time to feed and socialise. Normally the flock is put into
             the same yard for about two weeks until that yard is becoming
             exhausted. The other yards regenerate their foliage while
             resting. In this way each yard of a seven yard ‘clock’ gets
             twelve weeks of rest before being used again. That is
             sufficient time for germination of the seeds. The yards are
             worked by the chooks and the soil improved by aeration and
             manuring. The following year the chickens can be moved on to
             another clock, and the old yards used for vegetable beds. The
             year after the yards can be worked again by chickens, and so
             on.



             ·        Water management techniques will be demonstrated as
             the site develops. A drip irrigation system has been installed.
             Solar pumps, impact pumps, pelton wheels, and other
             solutions will be installed to help local farmers and shepherds
             seek sustainable solutions in dealing with issues of stream
             cleanliness, irrigation, and moving water around a site.

               ·        Waste management and recycling is also being 
developed to
                     demonstrate farm and community level management and will
                     provide examples to help people find solutions for their
                     environments.

                               1.      Dry waste is collected for reuse on 
site or for
                                     sale to recycling companies.

                               2.      Paper and cardboard are readily 
usable on site,
                                     whereas glass and aluminium are 
normally sold.

                               3.      Wet or compostable waste, is placed 
in windrows
                                     to be composted into fertile soils for 
use around
                                     the site.



             Local and National Government bodies support the project
             because of the unique contribution that the Permaculture
             demonstration approach brings through the unification of
             diverse but connected themes. All seed and plant material to
             be imported for the project will be shared with Macedonian
             agricultural insitutions and research bodies. Plants will be
             trialled so that local farmers can witness the potential for
             inclusion on their farms, waste management and recycling
             practices can demonstrate examples of avenues for
             generating income and employment, and research materials
             are available for further investigation.


     Rudina Project - The first phase


   Funded by the Austrian Government and running from October to
   December 31 1999, the first Phase was the time when rehabilitation of
   the former refugee camp began. Rubbish was cleared from the site, and
   the construction of 13 Swales (which represents 7.2 km of swales in
   total) was completed. Swales are earth trenches excavated along the
   contour with an attendant mound from the excavation on the down side
   of the slope. Swales trap overland water flow, and store it in the
   underlying soils. The swales on the Rudina Project can hold 40 million
   liters of water, and have removed the danger of flooding the school and
   villages at the bottom of the site.

  During this initial Phase the project team accomplished the pre-winter
   planting of more than 18,000 seedling trees. Most were planted on the
   swale and interswale areas. On the southern side of the site a
   greenhouse has been constructed for seeds for spring planting. In the
   first Phase we also conducted the first and the second 72-hour
   Permaculture Design Courses, with total of 18 Permaculture Design
   Certificates awarded. Most of the participants of the courses have
   gained the skills necessary to be employed in the Project.

  The site is surrounded by a trenched fence to protect orchards, young
   plants, and the site. This perimeter is planted with locally grown wild
   roses, and is called a Ha Ha fence.