By Mary Elizabeth Kidd
Mary Elizabeth Kidd is Georgia Organics’ Director of Communications.
Georgia Organics created the Land Steward Award in 1997 to recognize and honor an individual or individuals contributing significantly to the organic agriculture movement in Georgia and demonstrating commitments to key tenets of organic agriculture, including soil fertility and biodiversity.
The winner of the 2022 Land Steward Award is Juan Carlos Díaz-Pérez, a Professor in the Department of Horticulture at the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (UGA CAES), located in Tifton.
In late June 2022, we recognized Juan Carlos and other 2022 award winners with a celebratory farm gathering. Today, we’re sharing a Q&A with Juan Carlos along with his Awards Video. And, considering his recent feature by the team at UGA CAES (read at bit.ly/ugajuancarlos), here, we focus on what inspired and drives his work today.
2022 Land Steward Award is Juan Carlos Díaz-Pérez accepts his award from 2021 Land Steward winner Chris Jackson of Jenny Jack Farm. Photo credit Jenna Mobley Photojournalism.
While Juan Carlos Díaz-Pérez has impressive credentials—B.S. in Agriculture & Plant Science (University of Guadalajara), Masters and Ph.D. degrees in Plant Physiology (University of California, Davis), author/contributor to numerous studies—to meet him, one is struck by his kind, energetic, and engaged countenance.
Juan Carlos’ work has significantly impacted the proverbial field of sustainable agriculture. Georgia Organics' Director of Advocacy and former Farmer Services Director Michael Wall shares: "Juan Carlos Díaz-Pérez has been a patient, persistent force of progress for organic growers for decades. He is performing organic research longer than anyone else in Georgia and has advanced cultural and technical approaches from his experimental fields to wide adoption among organic diversified vegetable growers across the southeast.
Wall cites an example of his decades-long pioneering work: experimenting with and proving the validity of plasticulture as a means of weed suppression, individually extolling its virtues to growers. Plasticulture is now recognized and implemented as an important tool used by organic and even some non-organic growers across the South.
Juan Carlos also leads research into organic fertilization and cover crops to improve soil quality. He also utilizes cultural techniques to deal with emerging pest pressures created or exacerbated by climate change, including the dreaded whitefly.
Put simply, says Wall: “Juan Carlos has the kind of tenacity it takes to move the needle from the inside of a flawed system.”
“I have Native American, Indigenous heritage and have always had a lot of respect and appreciation for my ancestry, especially relating to Native Americans’ love and respect for Mother Nature and the soil; they are my masters, and I always keep that in mind when I do my work in sustainable agriculture.”
Díaz-Pérez developed a love and understanding of plants early, from the garden and fruit trees in his family’s backyard in Guadalajara, where he was born and raised. As a college student, he developed an interest in vegetables from a next-door neighbor, a Spanish immigrant escaping World War II, who was a vegetable crops small farmer.
As a student, he first noted the harmful effects of conventional agriculture practices in his community, as his farming neighbors shifted away from ancestral, Indigenous farming practices to adapt to the modern marketplace. This first-hand observation of the impoverishment of the soil sparked his passion for researching and understanding how one can grow food while respecting Mother Nature.
Juan Carlos was a professor, scientist, and horticulture writer in Mexico when he first met UGA representatives at an ag conference in the US and learned of the CAES job opening. It wasn't until he returned to Mexico that the value of the new opportunity sunk in. And just in time, too, the application deadline was for the next day.
He gathered and overnight shipped his application to Tifton, and the rest is history.
Photo credit Ginger & Carrot Productions
What is your advice to organic farmers, perhaps who are just getting started?
My advice is that they must love their land and love their work. These farmers should be aware of new technologies and practices, but, very importantly, they should know the market and their customers.
How does the American university system differ from that of Mexico?
There are many similarities between the Mexican university systems, especially in the field of plant sciences research. You have to struggle a lot. In Mexico there are fewer resources at your disposal, so you have to be flexible to be able to do a lot of things. It’s not perfect here in the US; it’s still hard to find the resources and support for this type of research, but it is better.
Photo credit Ginger & Carrot Productions
How does mentorship factor in your work? Especially as it pertains to international students?
In my lab and my work, I want to give opportunities to all kinds of people.
Whenever I get a student from another country, especially from different cultures, I give them every resource to help them feel comfortable and thrive. I had to go through the adjustment process by myself, so I know it’s not easy.
How does that commitment play out in other areas of your life?
Right now, I am part of a committee, a UGA Tifton campus International Committee, and our goal is to help new students feel comfortable in the Tifton community. I have also been involved in the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights (glahr.org/), which addresses issues of immigration and supports individuals in incarceration. For around five years or so, I was also active in another similar group in Tifton providing moral support like money for phone calls and clothes.
What propelled your activism work?
Being in South Georgia, I’m in touch with so many people, especially within the farming community. The vast majority of farmworkers in this area are from Mexico. We interact at church and go to parties together; we are a community. As a result, I saw so many of the challenges they face, especially related to the VISA program.
I try to help these growers get established locally. Some have purchased land and continue to grow their farm business. One student-worker who I got to know and work with at the local community college has gone on to be a successful farmer in the Tifton area.
How does farming factor into your personal life? And how do you unwind?
At home, I have figs, citrus, and peach trees, similar to when I grew up. Some of these were established in our front yard to encourage sharing!
To relax, I enjoy Netflix as well as playing the guitar, reading, and playing tennis.
Considering your deep knowledge of food, do you enjoy cooking?
I love cooking! At home, we eat a lot of Mexican food. Mexican and a fusion of other cultures’ cuisines. I like to mix things. I’m a lover of the world. And nutrition is very important. I believe good food has to be nutritious and appealing.
What legacy do you hope to create?
I hope to share the love of the land and the importance of stewardship. Both of these are really important, and we must pass this knowledge along.
Enjoy this video on our 2022 Land Steward Award Winner created by Ginger & Carrot Productions:
To learn more about Georgia Organics, visit georgiaorganics.org, and follow them on social media @GeorgiaOrganics and at facebook.com/GeorgiaOrganics.