UNICEF’s family garden project

Last week agronomist Taleb BRAHIM, coordinating engineer of UNICEF’s family garden project in the refugee camps of the Saharawis has sent some nice pictures, showing the successful production of vegetables in small-scale family gardens in the camp of Smara (S.W. Algeria) :

Engineer Taleb BRAHIM surrounded by cauliflowers and tomatoes in a desert garden

Cauliflower, lettuce, sweet pepper and young tomato plants grown in the Sahara desert sand in a family garden of the Saharawi refugee camps.DSCNo252JPG

Beetroots growing well in one of the family gardens, thanks to the use of TerraCottem soil conditioning compound (100g/m2). DSCNo310JPG

Sand underneath the drip irrigation lines treated with the water stocking soil conditioner TerraCottem. Young beans developing well.

A small disk of spineless prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) with new shoots. This cactus if used as fodder for goats, sheep and camels. It grows well in many of the family gardens having the ability to adopt with the harsh climatic conditions of Sahara desert.(DSCNo306.JPG)