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Volunteer Helps Orphanage in Kazakstan with
Vegetable Production
by John Fitzgerald
Kazakstan, a little known country in Central Asia, became independent when the Soviet
Union ceased to exist in 1991. It is mostly steppe and desert but with some spectacular
and beautiful sections of the Tien Shan and Altai mountains on the country’s southern
and eastern borders.
Kazaks, the predominant ethnic group once again, are descendents of Mongols, Turkic and
other peoples, and were part of one of the world’s last great nomadic empires. Even
today, traditional tribal divisions--the Great, Middle, and Little Hordes--remain
important. The Russians make up the other major ethnic group, but there are more than 100
other groups such as the Ukrainians, Germans, Uzbeks, Tatars, and Uigurs.
After the collapse of the former Soviet Union, the Almaty Orphanage #3, like most
state-sponsored organizations, began to receive less government support. Winrock
International’s Farmer-to-Farmer Program, funded by USAID, was requested by the
orphanage to develop a sustainable way for the orphanage to generate income for itself
while providing activity and agricultural training for the children.
As plant scientist and farmer living in Arkansas, I recently completed my second
assignment in Almaty as a Winrock Farmer-to-Farmer volunteer. For seven weeks in May and
June, I assisted the orphanage, a government facility for 350 children, to develop seven
acres for vegetable production.
I made my first trip to Kazakstan in June 1998 and helped the orphanage in acquiring an
adequate supply of quality vegetable seeds, improving weed control, planting, and
fertilization, and developing agricultural training methods and materials for the orphans.
My first task in 1999 was to advise on field preparation to plant three tons of
potatoes for a local potato chip factory. I was in the field for eight hours or more most
days, with 6 to 20 orphans planting tomatoes, peppers, pumpkins, cauliflower, cabbages,
sweet corn, cucumbers, and other vegetable crops.
The Almaty climate is similar to areas in the western United States, such as Wyoming,
with generally low humidity and a relatively short growing season. I initiated the use of
animal manure and helped with the control of the Canada thistle weed. Another common pest
was the Colorado potato beetle. Other recommendations included the increased use of
mulches, consistent crop rotation, better seed storage facilities, and better methods for
the production of quality seedlings (tomato, pepper, cabbage, cauliflower, etc.) for
transplanting.
I found the technical and cultural aspects of my assignment fascinating. I developed a
very good working relationship with Sergei Mishenko, a former Soviet Army captain and
supervisor of field operations at the orphanage field in Talgar. I also enjoyed sharing
meals in the "vagonchik" (work wagon) with the orphans and getting to know them.
In addition, I enjoyed speaking with the people and renewing my Russian language skills
acquired in college. I was able to travel around Kazakhstan and visit the sights of Almaty
on weekends.
I was given a farewell party hosted by Farmer-to-Farmer program manager, Daulet
Chunkunov. In July, Daulet was in Arkansas to visit Winrock’s headquarters. I was
able to give him a tour of Little Rock and rural Arkansas after he finished an extensive
tour of dairies and farms in Pennsylvania with another Winrock FTF volunteer, John
Rodgers. And finally, I was able to reciprocate with a farewell party when I prepared
barbecue for Daulet at my home on Crowell Mountain, near Clinton, Arkansas.
Although it is demanding work, I highly recommend the FTF experience. It is intense and
rich in human contact and technical challenges. People are far more alike than different
beneath the vast array of costumes and cultures.
I hope that my efforts eventually lead to better food production in Kazakhstan.
John Fitzgerald is a former Peace Corps volunteer in Western Samoa and has worked on
USAID projects in Sumatra, Indonesia, and in the western highlands of Guatemala. He now
lives on 85 acres in Van Buren county, Arkansas, where he grows vegetables and small
fruits, and tends a promising vineyard. He can be reached via email at fitz@artelco.com
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