Casa Farm was our first WWOOF stop, a world-wide organic farming organisation. We arrived at Casa Farm precariously balanced on motor bikes (Jakartas) and were greeted by Malik, the smiling owner who got our sense of humour straight away and who is happily married to his drum. The farm is positioned in the middle of the bush close to the sea. It is ridiculously peaceful here if you do not count the tinny radio which is always blaring somewhere (although a night of Ja Rule was appreciated!)
Casa Farm is just two acres, comprising of a living area, a small vegetable garden, a banana grove and land used in the rainy season that is dotted with orange trees. A tired well stands brokenly in the middle supplying metallic oily water to the plants and to us for washing! The working day starts at 8 with a break from 11 until 5 to avoid the heat of the day and then resumes again until 7. A pretty relaxed way to get into the WOOFing spirit! There was not a huge amount to do on the farm as it was the dry season and the work mainly consists of watering. Due to a problem with salt in the water last year there is little growing which reduces the days chores even further. Having said that drawing the water from the well is strenuous work (for the brief time that you do it!). You can see the difference a good irrigation system would make as it would allow more time for other jobs.
Malik’s admiral dedication to organic farming does make the difficult job of cultivation of Casa Farm even harder. Organic farming in Senegal is notoriously hard due to poor soil and the many pests. We visited a non-organic farm where the vegetables were flourishing, whereas oranges are all that is currently available on Casa Farm. Organic is a hard road to farm down but Malik is a strong believer!
Good compost is very important in organic farming as chemical fertilisers are not used, it is because of this we thought we could help Malik by building him a compost bin. There was already a concrete structure that looked like a compost bin but was being used as a chicken coop. Lacking the material resources to build another and after lengthy discussion we built a wall down the middle of the original structure, making it a home for both chickens and compost. Hopefully by the rainy season Malik will have some superb compost for his crops.
The schedule of the days shifts meant we managed to fit in time to go to the beach and discover the local surroundings. The small close knit community means the same faces pop are everywhere and in no time everyone felt like old friends. People here take great care and pride in making sure the natural environment is a beautiful as it deserves to be. This is a noticeable contrast to other places in Senegal which are strewn with rubbish. The younger generation see protecting the wellbeing of their environment as integral to the communities future.
The guys here love nothing more than to play dejembe and dance with abandonment around the campfire, making every night a starlit festival. On one of these occasions we made up a song about Kinky la Ba which quickly caught on (we would add a recording but it does not do the genius of the song justice.) We couldn’t tell you exactly what Kinky la Ba is (as nobody knows the French or English translation), boiled up in a kettle we think the discarded tree leaves could be part of the tea family however perhaps only a very distant cousin. It is however a delicious brew and what looks set to be a hit record. Two of the friends we had made, Thiendou and Para, love biscuits and tea as much as we do so we made this an important part of our daily programme.
Due to its rural location there are no cars and only a few well trampled paths making walking the only form of locomotion. The boys thought nothing of taking us on a casual nine mile stroll to show us the local area! When we were not busying ourselves with work or walking to the local shop (a 15 minute amble to a house where a man kept a few choice goods on a shelf!) we were chilling in the dappled sunlight or helping Adji with the cooking. As there is no gas, electricity, or running water this is done over an open fire and by head-torch at night.
All drinking water has to be collected in buckets from a neighbouring well, this was our job too and is thirsty business. Casa Farm and the local community welcomed us into their fold, living here has been a pleasure. Malik has been an exceptional host and this has been a great place to call home but our quest for farming knowledge continues.
