In the 1920's an American missionary came to Chile to start a Christian based agricultural school. He bought property from a Chilean farmer who wanted to sell his land. El Vergel was comprised of three sections: Los Alpes (a mountain), San Lorenzo (land in front of Los Alpes extending to the Malleco River), and El Vergel (the valley on the other side of the Malleco River). The American missionaries and Chilean people worked together to manage the property, teach classes and carry out agricultural production.
El Vergel Agricultural School building
A large community of agricultural workers and their families lived on the farm. There was a school and a hospital for the families. The gardens had many varieties of plants and flowers, and there was a pond in the park with fish. Canals that run through the entire property, used to irrigate the fields, were filled with water and crossed by foot bridges. There were tree lined streets, a dairy, horseback riding facility, abundant fruit production and a strong scientific research section in which an employee did research on horticultural plants in his own house/laboratory on campus.
Presently, many of the current workers grew up at El Vergel or have a connection to the farm. Osvaldo, the agricultural education teacher, grew up at El Vergel in a housing community that was next to the old dairy. He learned agricultural practices from an early age, preparing him to obtain a degree in agriculture and instruction. Pedro, one of the guards at El Vergel, was born in the former hospital on the campus.
Pedro and a colleague in front of the guard house
Manuel, the current principal of El Vergel Agricultural School, was a former student at the school and got a degree in administration. The current museum curator at El Vergel was named for a former American missionary, Dillman Bullock, whose collection of artifacts from all over Chile are displayed at the museum on campus.
Dillman and me in front of
the museum with stone monument
honoring former American missionary
The horticultural practices at El Vergel were brought to Chile by missionaries and are American based. The head job of horticultural plant propagation has been passed down through generations within one Chilean family. The current head, Pedro, demonstrated how to propagate plants. A clipping from the mother plant is placed in a "caliente cama" (hot bed) filled with sand where it stays for about 3 years with regular watering. The nutrients from the water make the root system grow without making the plant itself grow. The clipping is then planted in soil and grows into a larger plant, which can be sold in the nursery.
In the 1960's the Methodist Church of Chile separated and became independent from the Methodist Church of the United States. This correlated with the original goal of the missionaries to have El Vergel be passed on to the Chilean community and run independently. The American missionaries went back to the U.S. and the Chileans assumed the leadership and other work roles at El Vergel.
El Vergel suffered financially because the new leaders had little business knowledge, and the farm no longer received funding from the U.S. Methodist Church. The families that lived on the farm had to move. They established a neighborhood in the town of Huequen. Many of the houses on the farm were torn down as well as the school and hospital. With less man-power agricultural production slowed. Gradually land from the various sections of the farm was sold to help pay for expenses.
The current director of El Vergel, Samuel, was hired about 18 years ago when the farm was not doing well and he was advised to close the farm. While walking around the farm, he saw carved concrete signs left from the original missionaries that said "Para la Gloria de Dios" (For the Glory of God). He prayed and told God, "It may be your will but I do not agree with it." The next morning when he went to Santiago to confirm the property closure, the person who was to meet him did not show up. El Vergel has stayed open since then. Samuel said it has been a slow process, but El Vergel is gradually getting better and moving forward.
El Vergel shifted its focus from having a multi-practice farm to only agriculture. It then partnered with a large agricultural company called Vero Sol in which El Vergel provided the land Vero Sol needed, and Vero Sol provided the finance, new equipment and further knowledge El Vergel needed.
The El Vergel farm's major production is in apples, cherries, blueberries, and sugar beets. The sugar beets are used to make sugar.
Apple orchard
The fruit goes through an evaluation process before it can be exported to various countries, including the U.S., and also distributed throughout Chile.
Agricultural field
With fewer people to perform research and propagation, the nursery decided to focus on growing plants mainly within five major plant species and to produce a select number of varieties at good quality. It currently grows and sells: rhododendron, azalea, camellia and copihue (the national flower of Chile). Copihue is a vine with large hanging flowers that are thick and bell shaped and ranging in color between red and white.
Nursery
Billboard advertising the five plants
species in which El Vergel specializes
Nursery
Many of the current buildings are the original structures used by the American missionaries and Chilean families with different uses today. The house of the administrator is now a hostel that provides rooms and home cooked meals for travelers coming to visit as well as mission groups coming to do volunteer work. Dillman Bullock's house is now used by the head of agricultural production. The old hospital is now used as storage, and some of the original houses still standing are lived in by farm workers.
Hostel
The church, up until the last five years, held services for the housing community in Huequen that stemmed from the original El Vergel families. It now holds services twice a month for students and faculty and provides a music practice area for the school band. The old church social hall is currently used as the gym for the school.
El Vergel Methodist church (right) and gym (left)
The agricultural school serves about 150 students and prepares them to step into better jobs with agricultural companies and apply what they have learned to help support their family farms. The students arrive on Monday morning and leave after lunch on Friday. Approximately half board during the week. The school is free and attracts students from poorer families that also want a religious education. Although the school provides classes in basic studies, emphasis is placed on agricultural education. Little English is spoken by most of the students, faculty and farm workers. The school provides specialized teachers who work with students that need reinforcement with class material. For those who want to pursue college degrees, extra classes are offered in order to meet the requirements to apply to college.
Dormitories
Park in front of the school where
students gather between classes
Javiera and me in the park before elective classes
Sheep education area
Student path on campus (el sendero)
The El Vergel Park features a variety of plant species both native and non-native. A cluster of tall redwood trees were brought by the original missionaries from the U.S. Students enjoy walking through the park in the evening after dinner.
El Vergel Park
Barbara, me and Daniela
in El Vergel Park
