TEDxSanJoaquin - Rachel Zedeck - Fast Food Farming! November 11, 2011

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Rachel's vision is to empower commercial, governmental and non-profit organizations with the unique knowledge to make critical decisions, leverage opportunities and minimize risk in Africa emerging markets to facilitate responsible, foreign direct investment (FDI).

Her focus on developing ethical investments in emerging markets bore the Backpack Farm Agriculture Program, an internationally recognized social enterprise designed to supply, train and finance East's Africa's smallholder farmers to to standardize both the quality and quantity of agriculture production during an annual growing season, to mirror semi-commercial rates of production. Increased harvests translate into regional local, regional and international food security while impacting economic, social and ecological domains. Together, it is possible to achieve sustainable and scalable impact in Africa's poorest farming communities.

Rachel guides the organization with more than a decade of hands-on experience facilitating international business and social development in post conflict countries including Kosovo, Jordan, Iraq, Kenya and Southern Sudan where she continues to be exposed to the complex challenges facing humanitarian and commercial organizations to affect real social and economic change.

She holds a Bachelors of Arts (International Relations) from George Mason University and a Master of Arts (International Security Studies) from the University of Bradford. She regularly lectures and publishes commercial analysis on post conflict development and ethical agriculture investment.

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