George Washington Carver (1864-1943) was a man worthy of respect. Born into slavery (his mother was purchased), he lived and died as a black man in an age of racial segregation. He was lucky enough, however, that his owners were a decent couple, who helped him to read and write, and ultimately ended up raising George as their own son (George, his sister and mother were all stolen and resold at one point — the original owner was only ever able to retrieve George).
George was encouraged to study and learn, and that he did — until he became one of the greatest agricultural researchers of his age.
He is most famous for his work promoting the cultivation and use of peanuts (as well as ‘the plant doctor’ he’s often called ‘the peanut man’). His work helped save the cotton farming communities in post-civil war southern U.S.A. At the time, monoculture farming of cotton had severely depleted soils. The weakened health of the plants from the poor soil fertility, along with lack of plant diversity in fields, made the cotton plants unable to resist attack from boll weevils, which threatened to destroy the important cotton growing industry. Carver promoted a solution, of rotating cotton crops with various legumes — particularly peanuts, as they would not only improve the soil (nitrogen fixing), but also provide an excellent food and protein source. Farmers that heeded the advice noted improved performance of their cotton crops, and word quickly spread. Carver ended up becoming famous, even mingling with presidents and politicians — not an insignificant feat considering his race and humble background. The following is an interesting description of one of his early public appearances:
On arrival, Carver was mocked by surprised Southern congressmen, but he was not deterred and began to explain some of the many uses for the peanut. Initially given ten minutes to present, the now spellbound committee extended his time again and again. The committee rose in applause as he finished his presentation… his intelligence, ability to communicate, and amiability and courtesy delighted the general public. — Wikipedia
As interesting a man as Carver is, though, this post is not about him — but about a project of which I know he would be very proud.
The endeavour is called the Full Belly Project , brought about through the inventive genius of another thoughtful man, a Canadian by the name of Jock Brandis.
|
|
Shelling peanuts in Uganda,You see, approximately half a billion people worldwide rely on peanuts as their primary source of protein, and, shelling peanuts is a time consuming and physically painful and demanding task — a task performed mostly by women, who are already burdened with the bulk of daily chores.
On a trip to Mali, Africa in 2001, Brandis noticed two things:
The first is that villagers are beginning to plant cotton as a cash crop. Brandis knows that cotton is hard on the soil and without fertilizer or crop rotation, in time the soil eventually becomes depleted. Second, he notices that women spend hours shelling peanuts by hand in order to feed their families. Since peanuts improve soil by fixing nitrogen in it, Brandis asks the women why they are planting cotton rather than peanuts.
The women of the village tell Jock that the job of opening the peanuts takes too long and is too much work. — FullBellyProject.org
 Children are sometimes kept at home to help with the work of shelling, instead of going to school |
Jock suggested they use a machine to shell the nuts, but the women said they didn’t know of such a machine. At that point Brandis determined, and promised, to bring them a machine that would save having to shell peanuts by hand.
After returning to the U.S., however, he discovered such a machine didn’t exist. Indeed, he was told the device he was seeking was already regarded as ‘the Holy Grail of sustainable farming’.
But, not wanting to renege on his promise, he determined to create one himself, and that he did. The result of his patient determination is now lightening the load of subsistence farmers in Africa, Asia and beyond. The very inexpensive (as little as $28), low-tech device dramatically reduces shelling time — enabling people to shell peanuts 100 times faster than they could by hand. Although only made of concrete and a few basic metal parts, the machine is having a significant impact on the lives of the poor.
The Full Belly Project was formed to help get this device into the hands of the people that need it. Check out the clip to learn more about this very worthy effort.
A video used to be embedded here but the service that it was hosted on has shut down.
Excellent Idea – very hard working women!