Christian Rake is the Director of the Agriculture & Rural Development Department. He holds an M.Sc. in Agricultural Economics and his core expertise covers water and soil resources management, participatory irrigation development, delegated water management, capacity development and funds management. He has been a permanent staff member of GFA for 30 years and has served in different functions, i.e. several long-term assignments as expatriate team leader and countless short-term expert missions in Africa, MENA, Asia and the Balkans. He combines hands-on technical and managerial experience for implementing projects with sound knowledge of donor administrational procedures. He is fluent in German, French and English.

Astrid Lindenau is a Portfolio Manager in the Agriculture & Rural Development practice. She is responsible for acquisitions, projects and studies as well as team management in Eurasia, Latin America and the Caribbean. Astrid joined GFA in 1995. As an agricultural economist, she has worked in the areas of land management and cadastre, value chain development, fisheries and sustainable production in the context of biodiversity and climate change.

Justus Pape is a Portfolio Manager in the Agriculture and Rural Development Department, where he is responsible for project acquisition and implementation in Africa. Justus holds a master’s degree in development economics from the University of Göttingen and joined GFA in 2015. He worked as international expert and backstopper for projects in the fields of food and nutrition security, climate smart agriculture, value chain development, and agricultural policy advice.