Alumnus brings farming expertise to Moldovan grape growers


FIU alumnus Dean Wheeler, a Farmer to Farmer volunteer, examines a vineyard in Moldova with Alexandru Arsenii, manager of a Moldovan grape growing project.

FIU alumnus Dean Wheeler, a Farmer to Farmer volunteer, examines a vineyard in Moldova with Alexandru Arsenii, manager of a Moldovan grape growing project.

After spending most of his time in tropical Latin American climates for agricultural production and business development, a volunteer assignment in the European nation of Moldova was a distinct and welcome change for FIU alumnus Dean Wheeler.

The California resident recently returned from Chisinau, Moldova, where he trained members of the Table Grape Growers and Exporters Association in proper harvest training of local table grapes. Moldova is a small, landlocked country tucked between Romania and Ukraine. His assignment in Moldova was a part of a Farmer-to-Farmer project through CNFA, a nonprofit organization focused on empowering people and enterprises in the developing world.

The Table Grape Growers and Exporters Association comprises eleven major table grape growers with the purpose of promoting table grapes on local and foreign markets.

The 2006 ban on wine imports and impossibility of exporting domestic wine redirected Moldovan farmers to growing table grapes, as this product offers higher returns to agricultural producers and is thus more profitable.

Wheeler, who earned an FIU certificate in International Business in 1994, instructed members in the correct packing, shipping, cooling, and storing methods of table grapes. Time was spent visiting the Chisinau farms, interacting with local Moldovan growers on their methods, with Wheeler making recommendations whenever possible. The volunteer also went back and forth to the office headquarters, where he compiled evaluations and traded correspondence with Moldovan growers on his agricultural knowledge.

Victor Gaina, CNFA consultant; FIU alumnus Dean Wheeler, a Farmer to Farmer volunteer; Moldovan agronomist Foma Ciobanu and Vadim Bostan of CNFA Moldova at a vineyard in Moldova.

Victor Gaina, CNFA consultant; FIU alumnus Dean Wheeler, a Farmer to Farmer volunteer; Moldovan agronomist Foma Ciobanu and Vadim Bostan of CNFA Moldova at a vineyard in Moldova.

“I like working with farmers, since I’m a farmer myself, and also enjoy being able to do some good where possible,” Wheeler said. He cited his good working relationship with his host, staff, and translator, especially in their receptiveness to his recommendations and ideas regarding the farms.

“I would say I definitely developed more of an appreciation for how farming works in [Moldova] and that part of the world, which is something I had not done much of before, I found that very enriching.”

An avid travel volunteer since 2000, Wheeler has frequented a variety of Central and South American countries for agricultural training purposes, including stints in Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Brazil. Wheeler also spent time in Uganda and Armenia, providing post-harvest handling and fruit processing advice to the farmers. His expertise includes fruit harvesting and packing, as well as plantation and field management.

“The beauty of the Farmer-to-Farmer program is the assumption that farmers speak a common language, even though they can’t communicate. We speak the language of droughts, insects, and the plagues that afflict other farmers, regardless of what the local crop is or what the country is.”

Dean Wheeler traveled to Moldova under the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Farmer-to-Farmer Program, which provides voluntary technical assistance to farmers, farm groups, and agribusinesses in developing and transitional countries to promote sustainable improvements in food processing, production, and marketing. Founded in 1985, CNFA is dedicated to strengthening agricultural markets and empowering entrepreneurs in the developing world.

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