2006.07.24: July 24, 2006: Headlines: COS - Bolivia: Agriculture: Horticulture: The Idaho Statesman: Bolivia RPCV Walter Kaiser takes his love of plants around the World
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2006.07.24: July 24, 2006: Headlines: COS - Bolivia: Agriculture: Horticulture: The Idaho Statesman: Bolivia RPCV Walter Kaiser takes his love of plants around the World
Bolivia RPCV Walter Kaiser takes his love of plants around the World
Kaiser spent the first three years of retirement working as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia, which is where he met Rogers. He was much older than most volunteers, whose average age is 25, but the Peace Corps treasured his experience and knowledge. He was to serve a two-year term but found it so rewarding, he spent more than three years helping agricultural communities in Bolivia discover ways to grow disease-resistant plants.
Bolivia RPCV Walter Kaiser takes his love of plants around the World
Love of plants takes man around world
Caption: Walter Kaiser retired from the U.S. Department of Agriculture eight years ago. That just freed up his time to do more. Hes been a Peace Corps volunteer and traveled the world at the invitation of officials to solve agricultural dilemmas at a local level. My livelihood has been plants all along, he says. At home in Boise, hes become an advanced master gardener, his first opportunity to delve into gardening. Photo: Katherine Jones / Idaho Statesman
Walter Kaiser likes to peer over fences during his daily neighborhood walks.
He's not casing the joint. He's looking for diseases in plants. His passion for decades, plant health has taken him around the world even abroad, in retirement, as a Peace Corps volunteer. Overseas or at home, he can't stop thinking about plants and what makes them grow or die.
"It's a mental exercise for me,'' said Kaiser of the trivia game he plays trying to identify plants and diseases. (He's happy to talk to neighbors about how to cure backyard ailments. If he doesn't already know, he loves to search out the answer.) "Sometimes I take a reference book on walks with me or take home a leaf and use Google.''
Kaiser spent 34 years working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a research plant pathologist. He retired in 1998 and moved to Boise to be closer to his Sun Valley cabin. But retirement didn't mean a trip to the couch. In fact, he says he's busier now.
"He never slows down,'' said Jennifer Rogers, his partner of six years.
Kaiser spent the first three years of retirement working as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia, which is where he met Rogers. He was much older than most volunteers, whose average age is 25, but the Peace Corps treasured his experience and knowledge. He was to serve a two-year term but found it so rewarding, he spent more than three years helping agricultural communities in Bolivia discover ways to grow disease-resistant plants.
This year he returned to Iran and Spain to help former colleagues research plants. Last year he went to the Republic of Georgia in search of the wild chickpea.
"He has so much energy,'' Rogers said.
When Kaiser worked for the USDA he spent more than 15 years abroad in the Middle East, Puerto Rico and Kenya. His daughter was born in Iran and his son was born in Puerto Rico.
Kaiser's job was to discover ways to grow or breed disease-resistant legumes beans, chickpeas and lentils because they provide needed protein in diets.
"I traveled all over Iran training younger Iranians in agriculture,'' Kaiser said. "I loved the work. I learned so many different cultures and languages.''
Kaiser, who earned a Ph.D. in plant pathology from the University of California, Berkeley, transferred to Pullman, Wash., in 1978, and worked at Washington State University conducting research and teaching. He has co-authored or authored more than 200 publications.
Kaiser, 68, is "too busy'' to own a cell phone or watch TV, which at their house has an antenna instead of cable. There is no DVD player.
His front and back yards, living room and kitchen are covered with plants.
He wants to replace the grass in the front yard with native plants to conserve water.
"I like the challenge of trying to grow different things in our climate, such as wild peppers from Bolivia,'' said Kaiser, a master gardener who grows organically.
The backyard has a variety of crops carrots, garlic, grapes, eggplant, onions, cauliflower, etc. growing in immaculate conditions. (Friends once confessed to Rogers that they didn't invite Kaiser for dinner because their garden was too messy.)
"I learn new ways to cook all kinds of things,'' Rogers said.
The inside of the house has countless plants invading space.
"Once we get too many, I help him decide that it's time to start giving some away,'' Rogers said. "I sold some at a garage sale once.''
He is cultivating in his backyard two compost piles and a red worm farm.
He has a part-time job not for the money but to keep busy as a gardener at a nearby apartment complex.
He still writes for journals and e-mails to friends all over the world. He volunteers as a tree steward for Boise Parks and Recreation. He also finds time to camp, fly fish and ride bikes with family near his cabin in Sun Valley.
When this story was posted in August 2006, this was on the front page of PCOL:
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Story Source: The Idaho Statesman
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Bolivia; Agriculture; Horticulture
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