When the Sahrawi people arrived in the refugee camps in the mid-1970s, vegetables and herbs were not a big part of our diet. Over the years, we became dependent on canned and packaged food aid. Eventually, humanitarian organizations began distributing small amounts of fresh vegetables – mostly tomatoes, onions, carrots, and potatoes. For many people, these were the only vegetables they knew.

When we started growing new crops in our garden – things like broccoli, kale, and kohlrabi – we quickly discovered a new challenge. These plants are highly nutritious, but because people were unfamiliar with them, they simply didn’t want to eat them.

This became a cultural experiment as much as an agricultural one.

How do you introduce a new food to a community? How do you encourage people to try something they have never seen before?

We began looking for creative ways to share these plants and the ideas behind them. One of these projects is called One Meter of Art . Working with children, we use art, food, and education as tools for learning and for spreading knowledge about these new plants and growing practices.

Since 2018, we have been cultivating a wide variety of vegetables, herbs, and trees while also raising different animals together in the same garden.

Because our resources are limited – space, water, and feed – it has never been possible to grow large quantities of crops or keep many animals at once. Instead, we chose another approach. We work with a smaller number of plants and fewer animals, giving each one the attention it needs before moving on to the next experiment.

We try to keep the garden as diverse as possible because everything is connected.

The plants need the animals; their manure feeds the soil. The animals need the plants; they are healthier and produce more food when they have access to fresh greens. And I need them both, because the garden only works when all of these relationships exist together.

The results have been different for every plant and every animal. Some showed progress after only a few seasons. Others required years of care and observation – sometimes as long as four years.

The garden has taught us many things. Above all, it has taught us patience, resilience, and the wisdom that comes from working closely with living things.

What we do here is not about producing huge amounts of food or raising large numbers of animals. The garden is an experiment. It is a place where we try to discover which plants and animals can truly thrive in this harsh environment.

The food we produce – milk, eggs, herbs, and vegetables – is a supplement to our daily meals. The humanitarian aid we receive is important, but on its own it is not enough.

Over the years, many different plants and animals have become part of this garden. We are excited to share some of them with you and tell the stories of what they have taught us.