COLLECTIVE BUILDING SOCIAL RESILIENCE
CASALINA
Casalina is the social farming project launched by the Collectif BSR in Spinazzola, Puglia, southern Italy.
The project began in July 2018 with the renovation of a farm with the aim of creating a meeting place for local people, seasonal migrant workers mainly from Africa, and volunteers from Brussels and abroad.
Thanks to regular volunteer missions and the support of the villagers, the project aims to:
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promote solidarity among migrant populations
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develop sustainable and respectful agriculture
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encourage cultural exchanges and know-how
THE PLACE
The Casalina farmhouse is located in the middle of the fields, 5 km from Spinazzola, a small town affected by depopulation but whose tradition and pugliese spirit are still intact.
It consists of a small house and a beautiful garden shaded by cherry trees.
In its northern part, there is a pine forest perfect for camping, a space for our long barbecues and several buildings in ruins that were originally a cement factory. On the slopes of the hill opposite, we can guess the olive grove. And in between are the few hectares of agricultural land long cultivated for its wheat.
Today, almost 1 hectare is used by the association for permaculture projects.
Quickly, the experiences of community life in the middle of nature made us want to look after resources and develop sustainable systems: solar shower, compost, dry toilets, washing machine-bike, mud walls, recycling of wastewater, rocket stove, ... Participants continue to learn about low-tech, eco-construction and other ecological alternatives.
THE COLLECTIVE
BUILDING SOCIAL RESILIENCE
A CORE FROM BRUSSELS
The Building Social Resilience collective is made up of a core of about twenty volunteers from Brussels and elsewhere.
It is supported on a daily basis by an infinite number of beautiful people united by common values such as solidarity and ecology, and concerned about the migratory and environmental crises we are going through.
The BSR seeks to raise awareness of these contemporary issues and to set up projects to defend the rights and reception of refugees, natural agriculture and food sovereignty, while promoting cultural exchanges and rural spaces.
« Building »
because the collective was formed around a renovation: the Casalina project.
« Social Resilience »
for the idea of bouncing back collectively in a context of social crisis.
A FERTILE SPRING
It was in the spring of 2018 that the collective was born.
Angela, who had been living in Brussels for several years, decided to raise awareness among her Brussels friends about the social crisis in her native region: Puglia, in southern Italy.
It is also in the spring of 2018 that many citizens' initiatives were flourishing in European capitals and the countryside in response to migration and environmental policies that are often considered inadequate, inhumane, or simply non-existent.
It is in this context of initiatives and thanks to Angela's stories that the future members of the collective discovered the deplorable conditions of reception, housing and work suffered by asylum seekers and undocumented migrants in a region of Europe that is often neglected and is little known.
It was the first time they heard about the Caporalato… And certainly not the last, since they decided to go there to rehabilitate an abandoned farmhouse near the village of Spinazzola: this was the beginning of the Casalina project.
THANK YOU !
THANK YOU!
To all the regular and visiting volunteers who, through their commitment, have enabled this project to be born and to develop over the years.
A HUGE GRAZIE !
To Nicola and Maria who have trusted us since the beginning in the management of their land.
A SPECIAL THANK YOU!
To Gervasio from OMB who helped us to better understand the issues of exploitation of migrants in the agricultural sector in order to adjust our implications.
GRAZIE MILLE !
To the inhabitants of Spinazzola who welcomed our group warmly and who are passing on a piece of their culture or their know-how.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!
To all the people of Brussels who are curious enough to support our events and taste our products.
THANK YOU!
To the courageous people who came from Gambia, Nigeria and elsewhere to grant us such confidence..
A GIGANTIC THANK YOU!
To all the donors who have made this story possible.
A FINAL THANK YOU!
To the nature that gives us a beautiful and resilient land, a gift that we will continue to defend and protect.
UND UN GRAZIE PLEIN DE LANGUES TO THE TRADUTTORI
Maria & Antoine