Emory Delmont Alvord (March 25, 1899 – May 6, 1959) was an American missionary and agriculturalist. Known for his missionary work in Rhodesia, Alvord's demonstrative methods are credited with revolutionising African agriculture.

Biography

Alvord was born in Utah on March 25, 1899. He studied for a Master of Science degree in agriculture at Washington State College and after graduation worked as a teacher, specialising in agricultural science after 1913. He joined the US Department of Agriculture's Extension Service in 1919. The same year he volunteered to serve as a missionary with the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) and was sent to the

Mount Selinda Mount Selinda, at an altitude of 1,100 metres, is a village and mission station in the province of Manicaland in the eastern mountains of Zimbabwe. Located close to the Mozambique border, it lies in an area of outstanding natural beauty. Mount Sel ...

mission in

Chipinge District Chipinge District is a district in Manicaland Province of Zimbabwe. The administrative headquarters is Chipinge. Geography Chipinge District is the southernmost district in Manicaland province. It is bounded on the north by Chimanimani Distri ...

Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...

as an agriculturalist. At Mount Selinda he taught modern agricultural techniques to Africans and introduced

terrace farm In agriculture, a terrace is a piece of sloped plane that has been cut into a series of successively receding flat surfaces or platforms, which resemble steps, for the purposes of more effective farming. This type of landscaping is therefore ...

ing as a means of preserving soil cover to hillside plots. Some of the European settlers disagreed with Alvord's teachings as they enabled the African population to earn money from cash crops. In 1920 he was asked to help draw up plans for a new state-run agricultural school at

Domboshawa Domboshava is a peri-urban residential area in the province of Mashonaland East, Zimbabwe. It is located in an area of granite hills about north of Harare and is named after the enormous and beautiful granite hills. The name is derived from '' ...

. As well as establishing the school Alvord spent some time there training the staff and teaching students about legumes, crop rotation, ploughing, fertilising and row planting. Alvord's teaching methods, based upon demonstration, were well regarded by the new South Rhodesian state, which sought to increase the output of African-run farms, and in 1926 he was appointed the government's Agriculturalist for the Instruction of Natives. His schools taught Africans modern techniques of irrigation, stock management, soil conservation, village planning and sanitation. There is an often disputed claim that he was the first to introduce the

plough A plough or plow ( US; both ) is a farm tool for loosening or turning the soil before sowing seed or planting. Ploughs were traditionally drawn by oxen and horses, but in modern farms are drawn by tractors. A plough may have a wooden, iron or ...

to Melsetter District. In 1944 Alvord became Director of the Department of Native Agriculture. Through this position he was able to implement his demonstrative method throughout the country and promote the centralisation of arable and grazing areas. His influence is regarded as having revolutionised African agriculture. He was recognised by the British state, who appointed him an officer of the Order of the British Empire on June 10, 1948. He retired from government service in 1950 and returned to missionary work with the ABCFM, serving as principal of the Alvord Agricultural School until 1954. From 1954 he was principal of Marandellas School of Agriculture of the Methodist Mission. Alvord died in Southern Rhodesia (then part of the

Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, also known as the Central African Federation or CAF, was a colonial federation that consisted of three southern African territories: the Self-governing colony, self-governing British colony of Southe ...

) on May 6, 1959.

Head coaching record

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alvord, Emory 1899 births 1959 deaths American agriculturalists American Protestant missionaries Officers of the Order of the British Empire Washington State Cougars football coaches Sportspeople from Utah Protestant missionaries in Zimbabwe American expatriates in Rhodesia