by Laura Stewart, Education Director
Wes Jackson
Photo credit: Land Institute
On September 15th, Dr. Wes Jackson of the Land Institute gave a talk at Elon University as part of their Voices of Discovery speaker series, which invites innovative speakers in science and mathematics. Jackson is the founder and president of Land Institute, a nonprofit organization whose collaborative research focuses on developing sustainable agricultural practices for the future. A significant effort of the institute is its work to develop grains that will grow will as perennial mixes.
Jackson’s talk was titled, “Ecological Agriculture for an Ecological Civilization”, and he opened with the question, “What do we do to replace the industrial mind that has given us everything from climate change, soil erosion, chemical contamination of the land and water, and more?”
Before approaching the answer that the Land Institute has dedicated its research, Jackson laid a foundation to explain why his life’s work has come to focus on a grain production system that is nurturing to the soil.
Fully aware that this project requires a feat both socially and scientifically, Jackson joked that the Land Institute motto is: “If you’re working on something you can finish in your lifetime, you’re not thinking big enough.”
Noting that this is the United Nation’s Year of the Soil, Jackson said he enters his work with the acceptance of the following:
- Soil is more important than oil.
- Soil is as much a nonrenewable resource as oil.
- Nature has better production outputs than manmade systems.
- If we don’t put sustainable agriculture first in our priorities, change is not going to happen.
Noting that about 75% of our agriculture is devoted to grains, Jackson argued that changing our production practices for rice and wheat could revolutionize our ability to limit fossil fuel waste and stop soil degradation and erosion. Thus, the Land Institute has dedicated itself to developing robust, no-till, perennial grain crops by crossing wild varieties with domesticated grains.
He estimate the work of developing and implementing this new crop system would take 100-150 years.
A highlight of the talk was when Dr. Jackson held up a poster demonstrating the difference in length of one of his perennial wheat grains vs a conventional grain. Photo credit: University Nebraska-Lincoln
A recording of Dr. Jackson’s full talk is available online at http://blogs.elon.edu/ondemand/voices-of-discovery-wes-jackson-ph-d/.