Agricultural Research Service
50th Anniversary

John Jeavons

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John Jeavons is known internationally as the leading researcher, developer, teacher and consultant of small-scale food production techniques utilizing Biointensive culture. He is the author of the best-selling text How to Grow More Vegetables, Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and Other Crops Than You Ever Thought Possible On Less Land Than You Can lmagine (Ten Speed Press) which has gone into 6 editions in 7 languages plus Braille and has over 400,000 copies in print worldwide. He has authored, co-authored or edited over 30 publications on this high-yielding, resource-conserving Biointensive approach. Jeavons' food-raising methods are being used in over 110 countries and by such organizations as UNICEF, Save the Children, and the Peace Corps.

The comprehensive and sustainable cropping system developed by Jeavons enables people in all regions of the world to grow a balanced diet on a small plot of land. Former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Bob Bergland said of his work, "There are probably a billion people in the world who are malnourished. The Jeavons approach could enable that segment of the population to feed itself adequately for the first time ever. That would be a remarkable development in this world, and would do more to solve the problems of poverty, misery and hunger than anything else we've done."

A political science graduate of Yale University, Jeavons worked for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Stanford University before devoting the past 30 years to the development of Biointensive techniques. He has been the recipient of the Boise Peace Quilt Award (1988), the Giraffe Award for public service (1989), the Santa Fe Living Treasure Award (1989) and the Steward of Sustainable Agriculture Award (2000). He has also been a nominee for the Noetic Sciences Altruism Award (1992), the World Food Prize (1993 and 1995) and the Pew Scholars Award in Conservation and the Environment (1995). In 1988, "Circle of Plenty," a PBS-TV documentary about Jeavons and his work, aired nationally. He is also one of those featured in "The Living Land" (1999), a PBS-TV documentary. Major publications have featured his work including the New York Times, Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune and the Christian Science Monitor. His invitations to lecture have included China, Kenya, Russia, Bhutan, Nepal, Mexico and Canada.

Jeavons is a moving speaker who is frequently sought to address national and international conferences and university audiences. He has addressed the World Food Conference at Clemson University as the keynote speaker, and has taught classes at Stanford University and given lectures at Universities throughout Mexico. Audiences are enriched by his message of the important role individuals play in providing solutions to world environment and food challenges.

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