From Israel to Little Washington: Archie Griffin Is #AgPackStrong

One of only five recipients in the world of this year’s prestigious Nuffield International Farming Scholarships, Crop and Soil Sciences alumnus Archie Griffin will take his agricultural research from Israel to Brazil — and back to the family farm in Little Washington.

What was it like growing up in a rural area?

I participated in the farm, but it was never my cup of tea. When I went off to NC State, I had no intention whatsoever of coming back to the farm. Ever. I wanted to get out and experience big city life. I told Dad I was going to sell the farm.

What did your dad say to that?

He just kind of smiled. [laughs] I would say that was some immaturity on my part. … Once you do return, it’s well worth it. It’s not as big a change as you would think.

What makes moving back worth it?

In Raleigh, you feel like you’re just another person, and you don’t know that your actions are making that big of a change. In rural North Carolina, every action you take is making a drastic change in not only your rural community, but on your big cities.

Out here, if the local produce farmers have a bad year farm-wise, not only are the prices of, say, cabbage or corn going to go up in your local grocery store, they’re also going to increase in Raleigh.

Why is it important to make sure rural students have access to a CALS education?

Nowadays, there’s technology in every aspect of what we do. … Farming technology has advanced so much that when I interview somebody, the first thing I ask them is: “Did you play video games growing up?” And I’m hoping they’ll say yes. Because in the sprayer or the tractors, I might glance up at the field every once in a while, but I’m mostly staring at a computer screen. So there’s computer science, and then there’s genetics and biological engineering that goes into breeding the plants we grow.

There are so many opportunities. Because of farming, I leave in early March to travel around the world doing research on agricultural technology through a Nuffield International Farming Scholarship.

What are your travel plans?

I’ll do a two-month span in the Netherlands, then Ireland, Brazil, Mexico, Canada and New Zealand. Then they give me a budget and let me travel wherever I want until the budget runs out.

I’m focusing in on Israel, Jordan and the Middle East. Israel is probably the most technologically advanced country in the world when it comes to agriculture — they’re actually growing crops sustainably in the desert. Technology-wise, they’re probably at least 20 years ahead of us. Afterward, I plan to come back to my family’s farm, once again.