Fusing medicine, farming, researcher seeks plant-based cancer treatment

At just 24 years old, Stefon Burgess has traded dreams of becoming a medical doctor for a future rooted in plants, food security, and scientific research that he hopes could one day contribute to cancer treatment.

Working at the Plant Tissue Culture Laboratory in St Philip, the young man from Bowmanston, St John, now spends his days propagating plants, work he says unexpectedly transformed both his career ambitions and his outlook on life.

“I honestly wanted to be a doctor, but my mind just started to change, and I decided, well, I’m going to do the internship (at the lab) and get the experience,” Burgess said.

“I’m enjoying it. At first, I thought to myself, outside work is okay, but I like being in the lab as well, and I am exposed to both here.”

What started as a seven-week internship through the University of the West Indies last year quickly evolved into a full-time opportunity. By August, Burgess secured a contract at the laboratory, where he has now worked for close to nine months.

Armed with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, which included studies in ecology, biochemistry and chemistry, Burgess said the laboratory opened his eyes to the scientific possibilities within agriculture.

“I grew really good here. I learned a lot with the physiology of the plants, sweet potato, yam, pineapple and then plantain and everything,” he said.

But even as agriculture captured his interest, Burgess never completely abandoned his fascination with medicine. Instead, he now hopes to merge both passions through future scientific research.

“I would still love to incorporate my medical background,” he explained. “I want to do research on soursop and come up with an antidote for cancer using compounds from the fruit and leaves.”

Away from the laboratory, Burgess maintains a small backyard garden at his home where he grows sweet potatoes, figs, plantains and sweet peppers. Beyond helping to reduce grocery expenses, he said gardening has become deeply therapeutic.

“Mental health is very important,” he said. “Not just going out partying and stuff. I think that would be a good way to stabilise yourself as well.”

For Burgess, the garden also represents independence during a time of rising living costs across Barbados.

“You will want to garden at home so that you will have your own produce and you wouldn’t have to be looking here or there looking for fruits or vegetables,” he said. “Things getting expensive, so it will put a little ease on your family too.”

Though still in his twenties, Burgess speaks passionately about food security and the role young people must play in strengthening local agriculture.

“All of we living essentially the same life in Barbados. We know how hard it is here, especially cost of living, gas, food, everything going up,” he said. “Me, I know I [was] born in the 2000s, but that don’t mean I don’t know anything about the world.”

He believes greater youth involvement in agriculture could help Barbados reduce imports while creating opportunities for exports and innovation.

“This is a good way to actually show that we need to get students into agriculture so that we would get our own exports to other countries,” Burgess said.

His enthusiasm for growing food even spills over into the kitchen, where he experiments with healthier alternatives using produce from his garden. One of his favourite creations involved making dough pockets using sweet potato flour.

“I was doing a little experiment doing sweet potato pockets,” he said with a laugh. “Just get a little blend here and put it in a frying pan. Honestly, it was better than the [store-bought] pocket mix, and it’s healthier too.”

Burgess hopes more young Barbadians begin to see agriculture not as outdated or burdensome work, but as an avenue for innovation, self-sufficiency and personal growth.

“Honestly, I would encourage other young people,” he said. “Everything makes sense, especially working in the plant tissue culture lab.”

Ministry of Agriculture