GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER:

A blend of business and science, he left legacy of agricultural research still applicable today

By GLORIA SANDERS McCUTCHEON, Special to The T&D

The Times and Democrat,

February 18, 2003

http://www.thetandd.com/articles/2003/02/17/features/features1.t

Contributions in agricultural science provide us with a rich past, a comfortable present and a bright future. Scientists continue to design research programs that enhance basic knowledge for the economic production of food and fiber in environmentally sound systems.

What if you went to the grocery store and found no bread on the shelves? Suppose you ordered a pizza and were told they ran out of wheat flour. You would probably think that a shipment of flour will be coming in soon. However, you learn from a news alert that the entire wheat crop did not yield because of drastic soil erosion or was devastated by a very tiny insect or is no longer safe because of bioterrorism. You begin to think that there must be something that we can do in this age of advanced technology. Would we all finally begin to wonder where bread really comes from? Some youth will be surprised that the answer is not "from the grocery store." Would we somehow gain a greater appreciation for those who labor so hard to put bread on the table?

George Washington Carver's background

Born a slave of Moses and Susan Carver in 1861, during the Civil War, George Washington Carver grew up on a plantation in Missouri. According to the National Park Service, his burning desire for education was fed by a strong natural curiosity. Carver enjoyed reading, studying, and drawing plants and animals. He studied and worked at Iowa Agricultural College, now Iowa State University, and later became a professor and head of agriculture at Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Ala., where he worked for 47 years. Carver willed his life's earnings to Tuskegee. He died Jan. 5, 1943. His legacy continues in the Carver Museum and the Carver Research Foundation at Tuskegee University.

Carver was a great scientist and a renowned agricultural chemist. His research in botany, bacteriology and chemistry, along with his inventions at Iowa State University and Tuskegee Institute, had a positive, far-reaching impact on the scientific community, farmers, community members and policy makers. He demonstrated that crop rotation could be both economical and sustainable.

Much arable land could be conserved by rotating from planting cotton, which depletes soil of its nutrients, to planting peanuts and other legumes such as soybeans. Legumes have root systems that contain "good bacteria" called Rhizobium that provide the plants with usable nitrogen. Rhizobium and similar bacteria provide about 200 million metric tons of nitrogen each year (Starr and Taggart, Biology: The Unity and Diversity of Life)! This natural nutrient reduces the need for commercial fertilizer.

Current research by Iowa State agronomy professor Dr. Ricardo Salvador indicates that a farmer can reduce dependence on nitrogen fertilizer while producing a nitrogen-intensive crop such as maize.

Today, crop rotation is widely used, according to Dr. Jim Frederick, a crop physiologist at Clemson University Pee Dee Research and Education Center. Researchers are developing cropping systems that will improve soil quality, crop productivity, and environmental conservation. For example, we are investigating the combined effects of rotation, conservation tillage, and double cropping on management of pests (insects, diseases, and weeds) in soybean and cotton production.

Carver devoted his life to research connected primarily to Southern agriculture, but his work continues to have an impact in the South and around the world. History shows that he was the person most responsible for the economic survival of the farm economy in the southern United States. That economy was in deep trouble. As farmers were scratching their heads to figure out why the boll weevil picked their farms to destroy the cotton, Carver developed alternatives to conventional farming. He also developed Carver's Hybrid cotton, a more resilient strain of the plant. These alternatives were not only economically sound, but also environmentally friendly.

Peanuts and sweet potatoes

Carver also ensured social acceptability for his research by using his knowledge of chemistry to develop many uses of the peanut and the sweet potato. Recently, I reviewed two of his experiment station publications. The first, published in June 1925, is titled "How to Grow the Peanut and 105 ways of Preparing it for Human Consumption." Among the 14 major points he made to justify production and consumption of the peanut were "Like all other members of the pod-bearing family, they enrich the soil" and "The peanut exerts a dietetic or a medicinal effect upon the human system that is very desirable."

Today, the United States is first in edible peanut production and third in total world peanut production behind India and China, according to the S.C. Peanut Board. Major pest problems of peanuts include diseases such as tomato spotted wilt virus, white mold and leaf spot, as well as weeds and insect pests such as the lesser cornstalk borer, according to Dr. Jay Chapin, professor of entomology at Clemson University Edisto Research and Education Center.

Peanuts are quite nutritious. They are 26 percent protein, 48 percent fatty acids, 20 percent carbohydrates, 2.5 percent fiber, and 3.5 percent water, vitamins, and minerals. They have no cholesterol because they're from plants, and they are high in B-Vitamins and contain Vitamin E. A peanut butter sandwich contains all eight of the essential amino acids.

Of Carver's original recipes, this is one of my favorites for a quick and nutritious salad or snack. Peanut Salad with Bananas: Slice bananas through center; spread out on lettuce leaves, and sprinkle liberally with chopped peanuts; serve with mayonnaise or plain salad dressing. Today, I would suggest serving with yogurt.

The second experiment station bulletin, published in 1936, is titled, "How the Farmer can Save his Sweet Potatoes - and Ways of Preparing Them for the Table." Carver reported that after 15 years of no commercial fertilizer on three acres of land where mulch compost and proper rotation were applied, yields were 215 bushels of sweet potatoes per acre. Dr. Carver addressed the major pest problem (fungus diseases) by rotating and avoiding planting slips from a diseased sweet potato bed, and avoiding the use of seed sweet potatoes from fields with diseased tubers. Major pest problems today include weeds, insects such as wireworms, and diseases such as fusarium, according to Dr. Janice Bohac, a sweet potato breeder at USDA-ARS, U.S. Vegetable Laboratory in Charleston.

Today, the leading state in sweet potato production is North Carolina (29 percent of all sweet potatoes produced in the nation), followed by Louisiana, Mississippi and California (National Sweet Potato Newsletter, Winter 2003). Less than 1 percent of commercial sweet potato production is in South Carolina.

There are many ways to prepare the sweet potato. Carver indicated slow baking or cooking under fire coals enhances the rich flavor. Other recipes he offered are becoming more and more popular, including fried sweet potatoes and sweet potato chips. Food and Society Policy Fellow Keecha Harris, MPH, RD, states, "As with any fried food, try to balance these variations on sweet potatoes with low-fat options such as baked or grilled meat and steamed green leafy vegetables. Sweet potatoes are a naturally sweet root rich in beta-carotene, Vitamins C and B6, folate, potassium, and fiber. We should try to incorporate them more into our diets." Taking nutritional value and enhancement of Southern agriculture under consideration, I hope we will see more restaurants with sweet potatoes on the menu. Two websites for delicious sweet potato recipes are 1) www.prevention.com/links and 2) www.ncsweetpotatoes.com/recipe.htm.

From my review of Carver's work, it is apparent that his scientific ability, reinforced by his love of nature and God, his basic curiosity and his desire to help his fellow man were keys to his outstanding success. It is also our responsibility to be good stewards of this God-given earth. With all of the recent concerns about the environment (global warming, pollution, food security, bioterrorism), I trust that young people will consider preparing themselves to address these issues that will affect their generation and many future generations.

Careers in agriculture

As a research scientist in agriculture, I am investigating the use of minimal amounts of pesticides along with alternative, environmentally friendly methods of insect control to enhance crop production. I teach this concept of Integrated Pest Management to farmers and to schoolchildren.

For almost 30 years, the low number of African-American agricultural research scientists has amazed me. Agriculture played a basic role in our history as African-Americans. It is well known that many of the sophisticated techniques in rice production were taught to Southern landowners by enslaved African-Americans, according to Dr. R. Dufault, professor of horticulture at Clemson University Coastal Research and Education Center.

Is it the term agriculture that causes students to turn their heads? Is it the emotional constraints that remind us too much of our past in slavery? Is it because successful 4-H Programs today depend upon volunteer leaders, and that requires commitments from adults who still believe that "it takes a village to raise a child "?

Or is it simply that the word science to some may indicate boredom, or even be perceived as difficult or challenging? As students excel in basic biology, chemistry, engineering, and computer science, they may want to continue their education and focus on some of the areas in agriculture that directly impact our food supply, our health and our environment. Parents and teachers can help by teaching students about the many disciplines in agriculture such as horticulture, agronomy, agricultural economics, entomology, agricultural engineering, plant pathology, aquaculture, food science and nutrition.

Across the nation, African-American researchers represent very small percentages in these disciplines. According to a recent survey by the Entomological Society of America, 1 percent of the respondents identified themselves as African-Americans, and other minorities comprised 5.6 percent. Students can choose careers where they will work in the laboratory or in the field. They can research numerous topics from the basic to the applied. They can use their skills in business, computer technology, engineering, or pursue interests in biotechnology. The doors are open for a curious, well-prepared student to enter and enjoy making contributions to society through agriculture.

There are serious concerns with the lack of visibility of African-American professionals in agricultural science. Visualization can impact career choices, particularly in the sciences.

Dr. Karen Felton, DPM, recalls wanting to become a doctor to help sick people get well because of seeing a popular medical program on television as a child. She was further encouraged by her neighbor, an obstetrician/gynecologist. Her decision was influenced by the media/visualization and personal interactions. She believes that interactive research programs with modern technology targeting students K-12 is key to increased interest in research careers such as agriculture.

In addition, internships targeting college students play a very important role in exposing students to agricultural research, according to Dr. Alvin Simmons, research entomologist, USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Charleston. Clemson University and USDA, ARS in collaboration with South Carolina State, Claflin and other colleges provide opportunities in agriculture research for interested students.

Where from here?

There are numerous opportunities for each of us to be involved in ensuring that future generations will enjoy the natural resources and the quality of food and fiber available to us. It is very important to teach children (in the classroom and in informal settings) the value of science literacy and the role that it plays in developing health-promoting lifestyles.

Community organizations can help tremendously by serving as mentors and developing interactive programs that directly address present societal needs. An example is the recently adopted national service program of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Z-HOPE (Zetas Helping Other People Excel) through Mind, Body, and Spirit.

Under the leadership of International President Barbara C. Moore, the intergenerational, holistic (mind, body, and spirit), multidimensional outreach program has the potential to impact 500 communities across the nation. The goal is to empower people to become active partners in improving the quality of their life, according to Dr. Constance S. Hendricks, chair of graduate nursing, Southern University in Baton Rouge, La. This is just one example of a community outreach program in keeping with Carver's philosophy of empowering people to help themselves. There are many ways adults can be involved in enhancing science education among our youth.

Recognition of Carver's work

According to Malba J. Duncan, "One remarkable man straddled the worlds of business and science in a way that few Americans have and deserves notice of achievements in both areas" (African American History). A holder of three patents, Carver never patented most his discoveries, saying "God gave them to me, how can I sell them to someone else?" Each of us can show our appreciation for the great contributions that Dr. Carver made to agriculture in the South, which eventually affected the entire nation and the world. We need to continue to recognize his work through teaching. His awards were impressive and included being named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts of London, the Spingarn Medal for Distinguished Service in Agricultural Chemistry by the NAACP, the Theodore Roosevelt Medal for Valuable Contributions to Science, and the George Washington Carver National Monument in Diamond Grove, Mo. This is the first National Monument to honor an African American, a teacher, or even a scientist.

Numerous schools are named for him. A USDA Office Building complex in Beltsville, Md., is also named after Carver. Recently, the U.S. Congress awarded the Carver Scholars Program recognition as Best Public or Private Program to encourage minority students in science and engineering. January 5 has been added to the Congressional calendar to honor Dr. Carver.

The American Chemical Society reported that, "Future cooperative projects include having each of the 50 states declare a Carver Recognition Day each January 5 (at least 10 have already done so), having many Carver recognition events each Jan. 5 around the nation, expanding the Carver Scholars and Carver Science Fair Programs, and encouraging the U.S. Treasury to recognize the important contributions of African-American chemist Dr. George Washington Carver by issuing a new U.S. coin or U.S. currency for general circulation honoring Dr. Carver."

In a recent public address, the Rev. Larry D. McCutcheon (Charleston District superintendent of the United Methodist Church and chairperson of the Legislative Black Caucus Faith Roundtable) suggested that Carver should be awarded a Nobel Prize or another major award posthumously.

Dr. George Washington Carver provides an excellent example of the great contributions that can be made to society through agriculture. His love for science, along with his intelligence, dedication, and desire to help others obtain a higher quality of life are all traits that I admire. Youth of all races and ethnic groups should be able to make intelligent decisions about potential contributions that they can make in agriculture. We will continue to need food and fiber, and we must also continue to ensure the use of environmental conservation practices "in an economic climate in which farmers can earn a fair income," according to President John F. Kennedy.

We do not want our children and our children's children to experience "the last loaf of bread."

· Gloria Sanders McCutcheon is professor of entomology at Clemson University located at Coastal Research and Education Center. She is also a Food and Society Policy Fellow, with support from The W.K. Kellogg Foundation and administered by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (Minneapolis, Minn.) and the Thomas Jefferson Institute (Columbia, Mo.)