In a world economy, business must adapt

Names of nation after nation rattle off Steve Kovach's lips: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Iran, Lebanon, Ukraine, Honduras, Costa Rica, Guatemala and El Salvador.

Kovach, a Florence resident, is an international horticultural consultant whose work has taken him to those countries. The Dole Food Co. retiree works with a federal program that draws on volunteers in various business and agricultural fields to provide assistance to developing regions.

The organization goes by the acronym ACDI/VOCA, which stands for Agricultural Cooperative Development International and Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance.

His work has taken him to regions that have violent reputations and are some of the most underdeveloped areas in the world.

"In traveling to foreign countries, there is some culture shock," he said. "The food is different; it smells different; you have traffic going every which way."

Kovach spoke to a University of North Alabama international business class last week on a subject that more and more American businesses deal with these days: cultural barriers faced when dealing with other nations.

Kerry Gatlin, dean of the College of Business at UNA, said we are in a global economy, so it's an important issue.

"One of the most important things we can do as business students is travel abroad and study abroad," said Gatlin, whose school includes a graduate program involving students in Beijing. "The world is so much smaller than it used to be."

Kovach cautioned the students about a variety of differences in other nations. Language, education levels, religion and consumer habits are among them.

"Some hurdles are easy to overcome. Some are practically impossible to overcome," Kovach said. "You may have your own ideas here, but once you get over there, you have to respect these differences because you're on their territory."

He has made good friends through his visits.

"Once you get one-on-one contact with someone, the whole political thing goes away."

Kovach's work has taken him to Muslim farmers in the Middle East. "I've been out in the middle of the desert with them, and they're Muslim and Islam, and I'm the only Westerner, and I felt very safe and comfortable."

But you have to do homework ahead of time so you can understand their culture, he said.

Kovach showed a slide of two men in Iran holding hands. That's a normal gesture of friendship in that nation, he said.

Also, if you own a business in an Islamic region, you have to accept that they pray five times a day. "You have to consider that during the workday schedule when you're planning," he said.

"Also, things slow down tremendously during the Islamic Ramadan season. You have to plan ahead for that."

Learn about the infrastructure of developing countries. Kovach showed a slide of a road that is so treacherous, it takes seven hours to go 60 miles, something to consider when hauling perishables.

Some areas have "load sharing" when it comes to electricity. That means power goes out for a while, so you have to plan around that.

Many electrical currents and outlets are different from those in the United States. A laptop does no good without the proper adapter.

Differences in cultures and regions are among things Kovach looks at when he tries to help farmers through the ACDI/VOCA program.

The program's 11,000 volunteers have assisted 138 countries since 1971. They use their expertise in various ways. With his background at Dole, Kovach traveled to southern Lebanon to help banana growers.

He showed ways to improve injectors for fertilizer pumps and advised to watch for clogging in drip fertilizers.

Yellow vegetation the farmers thought was an iron deficiency actually was caused by an insect, Kovach told them.

He advised them to stop growing vegetation near the banana plants because insects jump from the vegetation to the plants.

He also told them to use sand filters instead of screen filters to do a better job of keeping out impurities.

"They are always very appreciative and are good to work with," Kovach said.

He also recommended a trial program that requires 20 percent less fertilizer. That alone ultimately will save some $9 million in fertilizers per year in the banana industry for southern Lebanon, Kovach said.

He's been asked by fellow Americans why the United States should invest in the ACDI/VOCA program.

Kovach responds it helps reduce the threat of conflict in those nations, because when basic needs are supplied, the chances of war decrease. It also promotes the United States and global cooperation and develops cultural understanding.

Kovach also points to the future, saying things can change for the better regarding U.S. relations with other nations.

He recalls recently working with a Russian who is a former Soviet soldier. The man was a soldier in the 1960s, when Kovach was in the U.S. Air Force, meaning they once were Cold War enemies. Now they are close friends.

During a trip to Beijing, he roomed with a man at a hotel overlooking Tiananmen Square. The man told him the last time he was at the hotel, he was a Chinese soldier stationed atop the roof during the Tiananmen protests.

Kovach said relations with nations such as Iran and North Korea are negative right now, but that could change in the future.

"The way you see them now, as enemies, hopefully we'll be able to see them as friends 20 or 25 years down the road," he said.

Bernie Delinski can be reached at 740-5739 or bernie.delinski@TimesDaily.com.