The Plant Doctor, George Washington Carver, pioneer of sustainable agriculture and natural products

Born into slavery, George Washington Carver was a child prodigy, known as the Plant Doctor. He became a celebrated agricultural scientist and inventor, evolutionising sustainable farming of food systems by promoting alternative crops to cotton and methods to prevent soil depletion. He developed hundreds of products using peanuts, sweet potatoes and soybeans, though not peanut butter, as is often claimed. He was the most prominent scientist of colour in the early 20th century, dubbed the Black Leonardo by Time magazine. Carver developed techniques to improve soils depleted by repeated planting of cotton. He urged farmers to restore nitrogen to their soils by practising systemic crop rotation, alternating cotton crops with planting of sweet potatoes or legumes, such as peanuts, soybeans and cowpeas. These crops both restored nitrogen to the soil and were good for human consumption. Following the crop rotation practice resulted in improved cotton yields and gave farmers alternative cash crops. To train farmers to successfully rotate and cultivate the new crops, Carver developed an agricultural extension programme for Alabama. He spent 33 years educating poor farmers about sustainable, efficient farming techniques in moveable schools he designed, called Jessup Wagons. Dr. Carver also published extensive research-based bulletins he freely distributed to farmers. One such bulletin, Nature's Garden for Victory and Peace, revised and reprinted in October 1942, was a manual on how to gather, prepare and utilise wild plants or weeds for food. The bulletin, given away for free to anyone who requested it, included many examples of common plants that are edible and even tasty if prepared correctly, plants that are useful as salad greens, potato substitutes, hot herbs, onion substitutes and medical plants are covered in the publication. The infrastructure he established is still thriving today. His agricultural extension programme between the university, government and local communities affects millions of lives every year, and two types of Jessup Wagon are operating today, providing support and education with water management, agricultural practice, forest conservation and food nutrition. Carver was head of the agricultural department at Tuskegee Institute, where he developed approximately 300 natural products made from peanuts and sweet potatoes. These included flour, paste, insulation, paper, wall board, wood stains, soap, shaving cream and skin lotion. He experimented with medicines from peanuts, which included antiseptics, laxatives and a treatment for goiter and thyroid complaints. Born into slavery a year before it was outlawed, his mother and his sister were kidnapped by one of the bands of slave raiders that roamed Missouri during the Civil War era to be sold in Kentucky. His mother's owners, Moses Carver and his wife Susan, raised the young George and his brother James as their own and taught the boys how to read and write. George was a frail and sickly child who could not help with manual farm work. Instead, Susan taught him how to cook, mend, embroider, do laundry and garden, as well as how to concoct simple herbal medicines. He grew up in an environment of thrift, economy and industry. Nothing was wasted, especially time, and everything had a purpose. Carver was an exceptionally bright child and spent most of his free time in the country examining plants and insects, treating the maladies of afflictive flora and collecting his treasures, bits of rocks and plants. He took an especially keen interest in plants and horticulture and experimented with natural pesticides, fungicides and soil conditions. He became known as the plant doctor to local farmers due to his ability to discern how to improve the health of their gardens, fields and orchards. Carver left home at a young age to pursue education and would eventually earn a master's degree in agricultural science from Iowa State University. He would go on to teach and conduct research at Tuskegee University for decades. Soon after his death, his childhood home would be named a National Monument, first of its kind to honour an African American. Apart from his work to improve the lives of farmers, Carver was also known as a leader in promoting environmentalism. He received numerous honours for his work, including the Springarn Medal of the NAACP. In an era of high racial polarisation, his fame reached beyond the black community. He was widely recognised and praised in the white community for his many achievements and talents. The Dr George Washington Carver Edible Park in downtown Asheville, North Carolina, hosts over 40 varieties of fruit and nut trees. Run by community groups and volunteers, the urban orchard is part of the thriving Carver legacy, exhibiting mature, fully fruit-bearing trees and butterfly and vegetable gardens, where visitors are encouraged to enjoy freshly picked produce from the park, although they are discouraged from taking more than their fair share. Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed this video, please leave a like and consider subscribing.