Lacking transportation equipment, Engst designed a four-wheel donkey cart, but it didn't work well given the local conditions. He modified the design to two wheels on the advice of local herdsmen with whom he gradually became friends.
Lacking livestock feed, Engst also worked with residents to plant new varieties of crops and built caves to preserve the feed over the winter.
Engst also worked with locals to improve the breeds of local livestock and control animal diseases.