WVU grad helping to build agricultural sector with new technologies
For the past nine months, Tom Pick (‘75 BS) has been working as a volunteer in Iraq, 6,673 miles
from his home in Bozeman, Mont.
Although he misses his wife and children, Tom explains the benefits of his work as a Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) agricultural advisor far outweigh the time spent away from Montana. His home away from home is located on a military base in Salah ad Din, a province in north central Iraq.
“In reality a year isn’t so long,” Tom says. “It’s a small sacrifice to make for the potential outcome.”
That potential outcome is to rebuild Iraq’s deteriorated agricultural sector.
“Right now I’m working with a battalion to help several desert villages that haven’t had electric service for a number of years to bring in solar-powered, reverse osmosis units—or in simpler terms, water purifiers—to remove excess salts and sediment in their drinking water,” Tom explains.
Tom’s job as a PRT advisor under the United States Department of Agriculture is extremely multifaceted.
One of his duties is to provide agricultural expertise to various military units that are responsible for handling landscape issues in the Province. He travels with those units to meet tribal Sheikhs/leaders and farmers to get a hands-on idea of their agricultural concerns.
“While much of our agricultural assistance involves production gains and improved efficiency, we are really trying to focus on building processes and capacity necessary to improve the value and quality of agricultural crops,” explains Tom.
He and his team also work to fine tune collaborative projects implemented by previous advisors, such as introducing hoophouses – plastic covered greenhouses that allow the production of vegetables during the colder seasons. They implement the use of no-till drills which update the Province’s conventional hand-seeding approach, as well as conserve soil moisture. The team has also developed a drip irrigation system that is used to improve water flow to crops and orchards through plastic piping instead of open ditches which saves substantial labor and water.
“This assignment seemed like a once in a lifetime opportunity to fulfill an important need using the full spectrum of my previous work and life experiences,” says Thomas.
Other new initiatives by the PRT involve olive oil production by using small scale oil presses, introducing small scale poultry and beekeeping training courses for disadvantaged women, along with demonstrating irrigated pasture grazing systems for sheep and cattle. The team, which also includes WVU grad Chad Wykle, has also improved irrigation water conservation by using flexible polyethylene pipe and improving the availability of agricultural loans. They also recently mentored Iraq’s fledgling Extension Service in providing skill learning to young farmers (ages 12-16 years) in remote desert villages.
In addition to the economic assistance the work provides, Tom notes that the assignment also serves to strengthen cultural awareness and understanding.
“It’s an opportunity for Iraqis to work with, and hopefully better understand, everyday Americans who are assisting them in rebuilding their political and economic system after many years of neglect and war.”
This feature article was written by WVU graduate Cordia Lucas (‘10 BA) and WVU public relations senior Krista Froess.
