Instituto Benson

The college has a collaborator in Bolivia, Instituto Benson, who has supported research here since 2000, starting with a Family Production project that looked at how a farm family can live on only 2 acres of land; then a Forage Seed Production project; and most recently the Insect Diversity project that recent graduates Eddy Alarcón and Oscar Claros manage here on campus.

Professor collaborators from Brigham Young University, Dr. Val Anderson and Shawn Clark were here last week, and took the entomology team out to dinner.


Photo: Juan Pedro Salas, a friend from BYU, Oscar Claros, Dr. Val Anderson, Miguel Manrique, Benson Institute Vice Director Gustavo Troche, Eddy Alarcón, Vetzabé Ajllahuanca, Dr. Shawn Clark, Benson Institute Director Elizabeth García, Edwin Zapata, Hugh Smeltekop.

One of our students, Juan Pedro Salas, is working with the Instituto to help farmers on the Altiplano grow vegetables in underground greenhouses called waliaptaphiñas (this means "good harvest" in Aymara). Sarah and I went with him Tuesday to help a farm family finish a greenhouse.


Photo: Juan Pedro helps the family put the plastic roof on the greenhouse, as Sarah Mechtenberg looks on.

Juan Pedro showed us a finished greenhouse back at the Instituto Benson research station. It was a steam bath inside, a big change from the cool, dry air of the Altiplano! The research station in managed by a graduate from the college, Zenón Maquera.


Photo: Inside the greenhouse. You can see how humid it is.

The Instituto Benson also has a small goat herd, managed by our student Magda Colque. Magda will defend her research project early next year.


Photo: Magda and her goats.

We are thankful for Instituto Benson and the opportunities that it has provided us, both for meaningful research and for hiring our students to fulfill the mission of the college, empowering the poor to end poverty, one family at a time.