One of The Negev Foundation's prime objectives is the promotion of Israel's Negev through the encouragement of commercial enterprises, both in terms of foreign investment in the Negev itself, as well as the export of Israeli technology and products. Desert Sweet Technologies, Inc. (DST) was created to serve as the business arm for the foundation's activities in this sphere, the purpose of which is to generate a for-profit flow of income to the private entrepreneur and to the Negev as a whole. DST is a registered corporation in the State of Ohio, USA.

Over the years, DST has developed into an innovative resource for the Negev, promoting wide-ranging projects and gaining in reputation as a facilitator of new agricultural and other enterprises. By bringing together Israeli scientists, farmers and engineers with businesses, DST acts as a broker/facilitator or as a marketing agent, helping to lay the infrastructure for future business in Israel and abroad.

DST conducts basic feasibility studies involving environmental data (land, climate and water), risk assessment and market potential, which integrate Israeli technology with local conditions. Reports are accompanied by recommendations for further activity, structure, partnerships, financial estimates and anticipated revenue.

DST has initiated pilot projects as a forerunner to greater financial commitment. A prior collaboration with the Hopi Indian Nation located in Northern Arizona gave rise to the establishment of an experimental farm near the villages of Hoteville and Monkopec. The 14-acre pilot farm produced melons, squash, tomatoes and a variety of corn, including blue corn. The Israeli-applied desert agricultural techniques were largely assimilated and implemented by the farmers, with the assistance of DST staff.

Current DST undertakings include exploration of new solar energy desalination opportunities, with the intent to produce much-needed water from abundant brackish (salty) water sources in the Negev, at a fraction of the cost of conventional desalination processes. The potential value of the project is self-evident.

In a nutshell, DST cultivates opportunities. It has the wherewithal, experience and professional personnel to effectively take an idea from provisional sketch to operative enterprise within the context of promoting Israeli desert agrisciences.

See also Agribusiness Initiatives.