[1] At Mount Selinda he taught modern agricultural techniques to Africans and introduced terrace farming as a means of preserving soil cover to hillside plots.
[2] As well as establishing the school Alvord spent some time there training the staff and teaching students about legumes, crop rotation, ploughing, fertilising and row planting.
[5] Alvord's teaching methods, based upon demonstration, were well regarded by the new South Rhodesian state, which sought to increase the output of African-run farms, and in 1926 he was appointed the government's Agriculturalist for the Instruction of Natives.
[6][3] His schools taught Africans modern techniques of irrigation, stock management, soil conservation, village planning and sanitation.
[8] He retired from government service in 1950 and returned to missionary work with the ABCFM, serving as principal of the Alvord Agricultural School until 1954.