Desert Development Center
The Desert Development Center is pleased to announce the distribution of its documentary film ‘Farming the Ancient Waters of the Desert’. Produced in March 2009, this film tells the story of oasis farmers who have moved to the Abu Minqar oasis, deep into the Sahara Desert, to create new livelihoods for themselves away from Egypt’s overcrowded Nile Valley.
The film shows how farmers strive towards a more sustainable use of finite groundwater for farming Egypt’s Western Desert. The documentary is based on data generated throughout a three-year participatory research project the DDC conducted in Abu Minqar. An interdisciplinary, international team researched the community’s resource management, irrigation and agricultural systems as part of a regional water initiative focused on community-based water management. The film is now available on AUC's youtube channel. To obtain a DVD, please email Research Coordinator Tina Jaskolski.
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Welcome to the
Desert Development Center (DDC)
 The Desert Development Center is a non-profit, applied research institution established by the American University in Cairo in 1979. Since its inception, the DDC has focused on the ecological, social, and economic sustainability of communities in Egypt's arid lands. Through agricultural and socioeconomic research, training programs, and community service, the DDC seeks to improve the overall well-being of Egyptians living in desert areas.
Since the 1950s, desert development has been a strategic goal and a major focus of Egyptian domestic policy. As the Egyptian population continues to grow, so too must the infrastructure that supports that population. Developing Egypt’s desert areas offers one potential solution to problems of rural unemployment, urban overcrowding, export growth, and food security – if pursued in a sustainable fashion.
 The DDC shares AUC’s commitment to education and social service. At the Center's South Tahrir and Sadat City research stations, staff members work to improve desert farmers’ technology, crop quality, and marketing options. Through its projects, the DDC opens a channel for the AUC community and its partners to apply their resources to the sustainable development of Egypt.
We invite you to learn more about the DDC, both online and in person. If what we do, where we are, and who we are spark your interest, please consider any of the many opportunities listed to learn more and get involved.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Learn more about desert development in Egypt >>
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