DESERT FOOD Director

To further the DESERT FOOD cause in Germany, Kenya, and the rest of the world, the DESERT FOOD Foundation is looking for a new director with in-depth development and agriculture experience to manage and set new trajectories for DESERT FOOD.

Background:
The DESERT FOOD Foundation’s objective is to mitigate the severe consequences of desertification through the smart, entrepreneurial, and culturally appropriate implementation of cutting-edge solar, desalination, and agricultural drip irrigation technologies in the world’s deserts. Solar capitalizes on the enormous energy potential of the sun, desalination technologies make vast saltwater resources accessible for human consumption, while agricultural drip irrigation technologies prevent water loss and evaporation. Equipped with these technologies, DESERT FOOD establishes decentralized, community-led farms and fresh water fountains in the world’s arid and semi-arid regions, thereby fostering sustainable livelihood systems in areas where traditional ways of life are significantly threatened by increasing resource scarcity, famine, and poverty.

Innovative technologies alone, however, are not sufficient to assure sustainable development in arid desert regions. DESERT FOOD is firmly convinced that its farms need to achieve financial autonomy to become truly sustainable. To assure such financial autonomy, the high maintenance and repair costs of desalination technologies must be compensated for with highly efficient and profitable agricultural production systems. The establishment of such systems is often complicated by high poverty levels and bad infrastructure, as well as distinct cultural patterns that require close consideration.

Therefore, DESERT FOOD upholds a multidisciplinary agenda to advance sustainable, climate-resilient development in desert regions. The foundation mobilizes the high potential of new innovations and integrates these technologies into optimized agribusiness models, which are strongly oriented according to the socio-cultural and economic context.

So far, DFF is still at the very beginning. A little more than a year ago, a first pilot project was set up in Turkana, Kenya. The pilot includes a communal fresh water fountain and a one-hectare large farm, which currently employs ten families. In the last year, most efforts have been dedicated to assuring the technological functioning of the pilot and conducting thorough market studies of the region. A lot has been learned. The next steps will now be to assure the pilot’s financial sustainability to capitalize on the many lessons learned in establishing further DESERT FOOD projects.

This is where you come in:
As DESERT FOOD Director, you will have the responsibility to carry on the Foundation’s current developments, expand the Foundation’s impact, and set new trajectories for the Foundation’s future. Amongst others, your tasks will include:

1. Devising a new systematic expansion strategy (including the exploration of new DESERT FOOD locations and possibilities to transform the foundation into or merge it with a social enterprise);
2. Establishing a long-term finance strategy;
3. Assembling and coordinating a dedicated team;
4. Networking with high-profile partners, stakeholders, board members, and investors.

Your Profile:
- You have in-depth prior experience in international development and agricultural projects (ideally in desert contexts);
- You are an excellent networker with extensive fundraising experience;
- You contribute long-term management experience;
- You are an assertive problem solver with a strong entrepreneurial spirit;
- You are passionate about the DESERT FOOD cause.

We offer:
Competitive pay depending on your experience.

If We Have Raised Your Interest...
... we look forward to your application. Please send your CV and cover letter to info@desertfood.org.