Wes Jackson, the president of the Land Institute in Salinas, Kansas, has become an influential voice in arguing for an agriculture that is more conservative of land and water resources. Born in 1936 on a farm in Topeka, Kansas, Jackson was subsequently trained as a biologist and botanist at Kansas Wesleyan and the University of Kansas, respectively. He was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy for his work in genetics by North Carolina State University in 1967.
After completing his education, Jackson established an Environmental Studies program at California State University in Sacramento, where he served as a professor until 1976. In that year, he resigned from his professorship to establish the Land Institute, where he has since applied his scientific training to the breeding of a perennial wheat and to developing sustainable agricultural techniques. Through his writing, Jackson has articulated a vision of agriculture that is not only environmentally sound, but also provides a basis for the reinvigoration of rural communities.
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