Alvi may not be a household name in Pakistan yet, but he is starting to gain a reputation in his home province of Punjab, and across the country. He’s not a politician, and he isn’t known for his financial prowess – he’s known for his bitter gourds. In one short year, Alvi has revolutionized the way farmers across Punjab are growing this staple crop by using organic and low-cost measures that increase plant yields and fruit quality.
“My door is always open and my cell phone is always ringing,” Alvi jokes about his new-found popularity. “I’ve trained the farmers in my small village, and even had a farmer from a neighboring province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa come and learn from me.”So how did he go from small time farmer to big time producer? “I decreased input costs while increasing the yield and quality of my crops using primarily organic compost I make myself. These are techniques I learned in the U.S.”
Alvi came to the U.S. through the Community College Initiative Program (CCI), which IREX implements. He gained the knowledge and skills in agriculture he needed to not only run his own farm, but also to teach others. At Fox Valley Technical College, in Appleton, Wisconsin, Alvi took courses in agricultural science and found instructors who believed in him. They wanted to help him find ways to improve his farm back in Pakistan, particularly by improving his bitter gourd crop, a staple on tables throughout Punjab.
“In Pakistan the climate is very warm and dry, which can be difficult for growing bitter gourds,” Alvi explains.
“Many farms spend a lot on fertilizers, pesticides and water to increase their yields, but that’s not possible for all farmers.”
Alvi and Professor James “Jim” Beard began to replicate the climate and soil conditions Alvi encountered back in Pakistan, as well as experiment with seeds. The team of two had their share of obstacles to overcome – first, they had to procure some bitter gourd seeds to use in their experiments. Beard and Alvi had to secure U.S. Department of Agriculture approval to ship the seeds from Pakistan to the United States.
After the seeds arrived in late February 2014, Alvi set up the experiments, which came with its own set of challenges in the frigid Wisconsin weather. He created small, movable greenhouses that could be used in different soil patches in the agricultural facilities. Alvi recalls thinking,
“If farmers in Wisconsin and the snow can overcome the problems of growing, so can I.”
To improve the soil quality and to see what worked best for the gourds, Alvi used organic fertilizing techniques such as composting and worm-casting. Though Alvi returned to Pakistan in May 2014, Beard finished the experiments for Alvi and sent him the results from the first crops last October. The two stay in regular contact, as Alvi often calls Beard to ask questions about how to improve the results on his farm and the farms of others’ in Pakistan.
Alvi and Beard have plans to conduct additional cross-continent experiments on more bitter gourd seeds. Beard reflects on their collaboration, saying, “Alvi wanted to learn and I wanted to teach. We are just two human beings working together to solve problems.”
The Community College Initiative is a program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State.
* Republished with permission from IREX.
