Director, Food Systems Institute · University of Nottingham
Jack Bobo is a futurist and food systems communicator who has spent more than two decades helping global audiences understand the most complex challenges facing agriculture, food security, and sustainability. At the time of the 2024 award, he served as Director of the Food Systems Institute at the University of Nottingham. He has since become Executive Director of the UCLA Rothman Family Institute for Food Studies.
Bobo’s career spans diplomacy, law, science, and storytelling. He spent 13 years as Senior Adviser for Global Food Policy at the U.S. Department of State, where he traveled internationally representing U.S. agricultural trade and development policies to foreign audiences — journalists, scientists, policymakers, and students across 50 countries. Prior to government service, he practiced law at Crowell & Moring LLP and served as a Peace Corps science teacher in Mekambo, Gabon.
He is the author of Why Smart People Make Bad Food Choices (Mango Publishing, 2021), which draws on psychology and behavioral research to explore how our minds and environment shape our relationship with food. He has delivered more than 1,000 keynote speeches across 50 countries, and his keynote at the 2024 BCCA ceremony — “Can Agriculture Save the Planet?” — reflected the signature approach that earned him the award: making science urgent, accessible, and actionable.
"Communication is powerful — it can either divide us or unite us. As we face global challenges that require collective effort and understanding, I am reminded of the significance of our words and the impact they can have. I'm incredibly grateful to CAST for this award and to everyone who has supported my journey."
The 2024 Borlaug CAST Communication Award was presented to Jack Bobo on October 30, 2024, during the World Food Prize/Borlaug Dialogue in Des Moines, Iowa. The breakfast event was held at the Iowa Events Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center, bringing together agricultural scientists, policymakers, and food systems leaders gathered for one of the most prominent annual events in global agriculture.
Bobo delivered the keynote address, “Can Agriculture Save the Planet?” — a characteristically bold framing of the communication challenge at the center of modern food systems: that science alone is not enough, and that how we tell the story of agriculture shapes whether the public, the press, and policymakers trust it.
"Jack Bobo exemplifies the very best of what the Borlaug CAST Communication Award represents — an unwavering dedication to bridging the gap between science and the public. His ability to communicate complex agricultural issues in a way that resonates with diverse audiences is truly remarkable."
The 2025 CAST Lifetime Achievement Award ceremony was made possible through the generous support of:
Supporting the next generation of agricultural science communicators at the student level.
CAST’s premier annual honor — recognizing mid-career professionals bridging science and society.
CAST’s honor — for sustained, career-long impact at the national or international level.
