Natural systems agriculture pioneer Wes Jackson to speak April 26

            Life Magazine once predicted that Wes Jackson would be among the 100 "most important Americans of the 20th century," a listing based on his work since founding The Land Institute. Many would say the same might be true of the 21st century.

            Jackson has pioneered the technique of natural systems agriculture -- an agriculture informed by nature that preserves biodiversity. With this technique, fields would be planted with a variety of perennial plants, leading to less erosion and healthier soil.

            Jackson will give a public lecture April 26 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, "The Future of Ecosystem-Based Agriculture," hosted by the Center for Great Plains Studies' Plains Humanities Alliance. He will address public policy for land use in the Plains in the context of how the history and cultures of the region intersect with biology to shape our decisions.

            Jackson is a recipient of the Pew Conservation Scholars award and a MacArthur Fellowship and has been listed as one of the Smithsonian's "35 Who Made a Difference." He is the author of many books on ecologically sensitive agriculture, including "Becoming Native to This Place" and "Consulting the Genius of the Place: An Ecological Approach to a New Agriculture."

            In the foreword for one of Jackson's books, Center for Great Plains Studies director Rick Edwards writes, "...the losses from unbridled and thoughtless economic 'growth' are not simply comfort losses -- more fast food paid for by less access to parks -- but rather the disruption and destruction of some of the most fundamental conditions for leading a fulfilled and meaningful life. (Jackson's) concern focuses on modern society's tendency to deprive us of our connections to our natural and social environment."

            The lecture is free and open to the public and will begin at 10 a.m. in the Great Plains Art Museum, 1155 Q St. Jackson's talk will be live-streamed on the center's website, http://www.unl.edu/plains, and available on-demand on the site's video page a few days later, http://www.unl.edu/plains/seminars/media/centerpodcasts.shtml.

            The Center for Great Plains Studies is a regional research and teaching program established in 1976 at the University of Nebraska. For more information, contact the center by phone at 402-472-3082 or by email; or visit its website.

Writer: Katie Nieland, Publications Coordinator, Center for Great Plains Studies, 402-472-3965