We developed an innovative farming system by combining three techniques; aquaponics, hydroponics, and sandponics into one integrated model. The result is a closed-loop system capable of producing food year-round, independent of rainfall or fertile soil. By recycling water completely, this method is especially suitable for regions frequently affected by drought as a result of climate change.

This system combines aquaculture with crop production by growing fish and plants together in a single ecosystem. The fish naturally fertilize the water, while the plants absorb these nutrients to grow. With a continuous supply of water and nutrients, crops can achieve significantly higher yields and larger produce compared to traditional farming methods. This makes it possible to grow substantial amounts of food in a relatively small area.

In the final part of this documentary, we witness the consequences of deforestation: the depletion of groundwater. Since large-scale tree cutting began, groundwater levels have declined at an alarming rate. Binta, the wife of Musa, once cultivated a garden near her home. Today, her well has run dry, forcing her to walk long distances to find land where water is still accessible for farming.

Binta guides us to her former well, now completely dry. We then follow her to the gardens where she, and many Gambian women, spend their days working the land. Musa is together with Kevin, founder of this project.

In the second part of this documentary, we visit award-winning tree grower and mangrove reforestation manager Ansumana Darboe at his tree farm. He explains why it is essential that we all take responsibility for planting and protecting trees.

We then visit a wood market in Serekunda, where large trees are processed into building materials, revealing the scale of ongoing deforestation. Finally, Musa Bah brings the viewer back to Kartong, where many mango gardens—planted by our ancestors decades ago—are now at risk of being cut down if no action is taken to protect them.

The Gambia is currently facing a massive wave of deforestation. Between 2013 and 2020, an estimated 1.6 million rosewood trees were cut down across The Gambia and Senegal and exported to China.

To expose what is happening on the ground, Musa Bah and Kevin filmed a short documentary for the BABAO Foundation. In Musa’s home village of Kartong, deforestation has become the number one threat to groundwater levels.

“Trees regulate our groundwater,” Musa explains. “But as trees are being cut down in large numbers, we can clearly see the water level dropping. Only by stopping deforestation and planting new trees can we repair the damage we are causing. Our grandparents planted these trees. Today, we are destroying what our ancestors built.”

This journey marked the moment when the founders of ReFarm Africa first met. In 2012, Kevin decided that life in the Netherlands had become too predictable. Together with his two Gambian friends, Jerreh and Musa, he organized a kayak expedition along the River Gambia, traveling all the way to the Atlantic Ocean.

The three-month journey took them along every meter of this majestic river. Along the way, they witnessed both its beauty and its vulnerability, raising a deep awareness of the urgent need to protect and preserve this extraordinary environment.

The expedition was not without danger, but it forged a powerful bond between themcreating a friendship built on shared hardship, discovery, and purpose. Laying the foundation for what would later become ReFarm Africa.