Jimmy Carter, the former president and statesman who died Sunday at 100, was famously proud of being a peanut farmer and is being remembered for working to address food insecurity through modern farming practices and technology, and for giving time to help his old industry.
Carter grew up on a peanut farm in Plains, Georgia, and later took over his family’s farm supply business and land after his father died in 1953. Carter, who grew peanut seeds, put the business interests in a blind trust during his presidency and sold them afterward, according to the Plains Historical Preservation Trust.
Carter and the non-profit organization he founded, The Carter Center, later collaborated with fellow Nobel Peace Prize winner, scientist Norman Borlaug, to promote improved agricultural practices in Africa.
"President Carter became a champion for ending hunger and poverty with his deep commitment to human rights and his post-presidency focus on global health and development. Their collaboration wasn’t just about science or politics but humanity," Borlaug's granddaughter, Julie Borlaug, said in a statement shared with Agri-Pulse.
She said Carter "provided critical support through the Carter Center, mobilized resources, and displayed political will to ensure these innovations reached the most needed people. Together, they proved that food insecurity was not an inevitable consequence of geography or poverty—it was a solvable problem."
In a 2010 tribute to Borlaug, Carter said the crop breeder known as the father of the Green Revolution "defied conventional wisdom. He and I sometimes stood alone within the international agricultural development arena for our views on the need to help Africa improve its ability to produce food and the use of GMOs."
Carter also used his name and time to help his old industry.
“Through the years he was generous with his time, graciously meeting with many international trade delegations and sharing his knowledge about peanut farming and the industry. These gatherings always proved to be the highlight of the tours and a cherished memory for participants,” the American Peanut Council said in a statement.
The statement went on, “Overall, President Carter's contributions helped promote the peanut industry, and his work helped to showcase the peanut as an important crop in the United States and around the world.”
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pa., also cited Carter’s farming background in a statement.
“Jimmy Carter grew up on his family’s farm in Plains, Georgia—where he later became the owner and operator of the family business. His humble beginnings and deep roots in agriculture taught him the values that guided his tireless, decades-long career as a selfless public servant.”
National Farmers Union President Rob Larew said Carter’s “agricultural roots prepared him to serve this country with grace and compassion through a difficult time and continue his humanitarian efforts for the remainder of his life.
“The fact that a humble peanut farmer from Georgia can hold the highest office in this country is a testament to the strength and value of the voice of family farmers and ranchers everywhere. We send our condolences to the Carter family and join the rest of the nation in remembering this great man.”
