Wes Jackson

Wes Jackson, co-founder of The Land Institute alongside Dana Jackson in 1976, shaped the organization’s vision from its inception. Serving as president for four decades, Wes championed the Institute’s mission to develop perennial, ecologically sound agricultural systems. Even after stepping down as president in 2016, he continued to guide the Institute’s leaders and advance its bold pursuits. Through his work in the Ecosphere Studies program and beyond, Wes nurtured a spirit of inquiry and collaboration that defines The Land Institute to this day. He retired in 2024, leaving a legacy rooted in ecological stewardship and transformative thinking.

A 1992 MacArthur Fellow, Wes Jackson is a visionary plant geneticist and emeritus professor of Biology, celebrated for his role in the movement for sustainable agriculture. His prolific writing—including the landmark “New Roots for Agriculture”—illuminates The Land Institute’s founding principles: agriculture in harmony with nature, inspired by the resilient prairie ecosystems of Kansas. Wes’s books, such as “Hogs Are Up: Stories of the Land, with Digressions” and “An Inconvenient Apocalypse,” invite readers to reimagine our relationship with the land, echoing the Institute’s commitment to regenerative, perennial agriculture.

1976 Co-founder, President, 2016 President Emeritus of The Land Institute, 2024 Retired