History and the knowledge of it is our greatest strength in building the legacy left behind.
Although there were many leaders, horticulturists, and farmers who were catalysts to agriculture, we highlight two great contributors today. Dr. Book T. Whatley, Author of "How to Make $100,000 Farming 25 Acres" (1987), was a significant contributor and dove deep in examining effective and efficient farming practices. These sustainable practices helped farmers minimize unnecessary costs, limit waste, and allow small farmers to make the most of their acreage. Dr. Whatley's "ten commandments" of sustainable farming provided horticulturists with essential aspects in creating a prosperous farm in the '60s and '70s. As a horticulturist in Alabama himself, Dr. Whatley educated his concepts through the Tuskegee University and continued the soil regeneration technique created by George Washington Carver.
George Washington Carver was an agricultural scientist, inventor, and educator at the Tuskegee University. Dr. Carver developed a crop rotation method ensuring revitalization to southern soil from nitrogen depleting crops, such as cotton. The process altered these crops with other crops that reversed nitrogen depletion. This method increased soil's production capacity and gave farmers alternative crops such as corn and legumes, which could maximize diversity in their crop markets.
These are just two stories of innovative practices over several decades. To learn about five additional leaders, check out this article by Farm Project.org https://www.farmproject.org/blog/2017/2/4/hikqys8igvv0bo368aco3mrb1rv7d1
Really enjoy the subject of farming and horticulture? Support organizations dedicated to black farming:
- Black Urban Growers Association
- Black Church Food Security Network
- National Black Food and Justice Alliance
- Rise and Root Farm
- Soil Generation
- National Black Farmers Association
