Volunteers Increase Apple Production on the 
Rooftop of the World


Nepal is famous for spectacular mountain scenery, rich cultures, and friendly people. Each year, approximately 400,000 tourists visit Nepal, home to the highest mountain in the world, Mount Everest. While known as a paradise for tourists, Nepal is also one of the ten poorest countries in the world. Nearly 90 percent of Nepalis lives on less than $2 a day, and half of the children under five years old are malnourished.

In this nation of 23 million people, agriculture accounts for nearly half of the economy and employs 80% of the labor force. But in this mountainous country slightly larger than Arkansas, only 30% of the land can be farmed. Farmers must increase their productivity on this small amount of land, while protecting the soil and water for future generations.

Since 1997, Winrock's Farmer-to-Farmer Program has sent 35 Americans to help Nepal's farmers and agribusinesses improve productivity, resource management, and profitability. Two volunteers, John Aselage and Ed Leh, have significantly helped apple growers. A local agribusiness, Mustang Agro-Enterprises, invited Aselage and Leh to help improve apple production and processing. Mustang is located near the Tibetan border, along the Kali Khandaki River and four days from the closest road.

Farmers in Mustang have grown apples for approximately 20 years. This region produces 850 tons of red and golden delicious, royal and jonathan apples every year. However, many of these apples are lost to insects, disease, poor storage, and lack of adequate transportation facilities.

In September 1997, Ed Leh, a food processing, visited the region and recommended that Mustang Agro-Enterprises abandon plans to produce apple concentrate, and consider fruit drying instead, given the high costs of transportation from this remote region. Winrock send a second volunteer with expertise in apple pests and diseases. In October and November 1997, John Aselage, who works for Gerber Products Co. as a crop consultant and operates his own apple orchard and nursery, volunteered to design an insect and disease control program.

Aselage diagnosed apple scab, red mites, and scale as the key pest problems, and provided a clear explanation of what the growers in Mustang must do to produce disease and insect free fruit. He recommended using environmentally friendly, integrated pest management practices. 

"Nepali fruit growers raise vegetables in the orchard, so there is danger that excessive insecticide residues might be present on vegetables grown for food in the orchard," explained Aselage. "This disease and insect control program emphasizes pruning to minimize the impact on the environment and reduce residues on food and forage crops grown in the orchards."

This past fall, Aselage returned to provide additional assistance to apple growers. Gerber donated a week of his time for this effort. "I really appreciate their support," said Aselage. "Also, Gerber has been a U.S. industry leader in their efforts to promote decreased use of agricultural pesticides on food crops."  		 

 

 


In this nation of 23 million people, agriculture accounts for nearly half of the economy and employs 80% of the labor force. But in this mountainous country slightly larger than Arkansas, only 30% of the land can be farmed.