Help Wanted
Seeking agricultural adviser for small remote island in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean. Must reduce costly reliance on imported foods. No airport, no internet, good fishing. All land is communally owned. Ten year plan to become self sufficient in food and energy. Hoping to plant and sustain fruit orchards and improve the health of their animals. Minimum commitment of two years and a resilient nature.
A view of Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, the official name for the residential settlement on Tristan da Cunha. Photo by Vidar Bakken / Oceanwide Expeditions
Tristan da Cunha is a seven-day boat ride away from the nearest city, Cape Town.
The local cafe. Photo by Vidar Bakken
Houses on Tristan da Cunha. Photo by Rob Tully
Rockhopper penguins on Nightingale Island, part of the Tristan da Cunha group of islands.
A volcano dominates the island. Photo by Alexey German
Excerpted from the Toronto Star article:
by Sandro Contenta, Toronto Star
Want a job on the most remote inhabited island on Earth? If you’re an expert in agriculture, the 267 souls eking out a living on windswept Tristan da Cunha could use your help.
Tristan da Cunha is a tiny overseas territory of the United Kingdom, smack in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean. It is searching for an “agricultural adviser,” someone to help it “avoid insolvency” by reducing its costly reliance on imported foods, according to the island’s want ad. More than expertise is required. “You have to have a very resilient nature,” says administrator Alex Mitham, the island’s top official.
The stark facts: To the east, Tristan is about 2,800 kilometres from Cape Town, South Africa; to the west, Rio de Janeiro is 3,340 kilometres away. The nearest inhabited island is Saint Helena, 2,430 kilometres to the north.
The island has no airport. The only regular transportation is an old fishing trawler from Cape Town that makes the trip — it takes seven days, one-way — maybe eight times a year. And rough seas means the harbour is open only 60 or 70 days a year. Even emergency medical evacuation can take months, Mitham says. “In a world where you can fly anywhere within 24 hours, this is significantly a step beyond.”