Living in the refugee camps in southwest Algeria, Mohamed Salem is a 23-year-old Sahrawi farmer and artist who won the 2025 Young Climate Prize for his project, “The Nomad Garden,” which uses innovative agriculture systems to grow food in the Smara refugee camp in Algeria.

The arid desert climate of Algeria’s Smara refugee camp has forced its community to rely heavily on humanitarian aid for their sustenance. As rising temperatures exacerbate the strain on life in this harsh environment, 23 year-old Mohamed Salem has developed alternative approaches to desert agriculture—including “sandponic” and hydroponic systems—as potential solutions to acute food insecurity. Through his combined farming and artistic practice, Mohamed is ensuring that his experimental garden, created with tires and found objects within the camp, won’t remain an oasis.

The Nomad Garden is the subject of a short film, which Mohamed made to inspire more refugees to cultivate their own crops towards the group’s eventual self-reliance.

Mohamed uses permaculture design principals as part of his farming process, and was introduced to David Holmgren, permaculture co-originator, via Ewan McEoin, senior curator, Contemporary Art, Design and Architecture at the National Gallery of Victoria.

You can find out more about Mohamed and his work here: https://thenomadgarden.com/