The Borlaug CAST Communication Award was introduced in 2010. It replaces the Charles A. Black Award, which was given from 1986 through 2009. The award is dedicated to Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, “The Man Who Fed the World” and author of the first CAST publication in 1973, and to Dr. Charles A. Black, first CAST President, first Executive Vice President, and member of the founding committee of CAST. These two men embody the passion and dedication to agricultural research and technology that this award is designed to reward.
This prestigious award recognizes outstanding achievement in the communication of agricultural science and technology to the public, policymakers, and news media.
CAST announces that nominations for the 2025 Borlaug CAST Communication Award (BCCA) will open on March 25, 2025 – the birthday of Dr. Norman Borlaug. The selected recipient will be honored at a special award ceremony during the 2025 World Food Prize events in Des Moines, Iowa, scheduled for October 21-23, 2025.
Key Dates for 2025 BCCA:
To Previous Nominees: If you submitted a nomination package last year and would like to be considered for the 2025 award cycle, please contact the CAST Director of Marketing & Communications, Carlos Back Vianna, at cvianna@cast-science.org. .
Ideal candidates for the BCCA are those:
We encourage nominations of individuals from all nations who have demonstrated these qualities.
The recipient of the 2024 BCCA will be honored at a side event of the World Food Prize Symposium, where the awardee will have the opportunity to deliver a presentation showcasing their expertise and achievements in agricultural communication.
We invite you to join us in celebrating and recognizing the remarkable individuals making a difference in agricultural, environmental, and food science and technology. Nominate a deserving candidate today for the 2024 Borlaug CAST Communication Award.
The winner receives a custom-made bronze created by sculptor Jerry Palen, titled “A World Supported by Plants and Animals.”
About the Artist: Jerry Palen is a sculptor, painter, and cartoonist whose work earned him the 2009 Governor’s Arts Award for his contributions to the arts as an individual artist. His “Stampede” cartoon series, featuring the ranching couple Flo and Elmo, has earned him the reputation as the largest weekly syndicated cartoonist in the agricultural sector of both the U.S. and Canada. He has established a large following of collectors for his bronzes, watercolors, oils, and pencil sketches. Every U.S. President since Jimmy Carter has used his bronze sculptures for presentations and gifts.
CAST, through its network of experts, assembles, interprets, and communicates credible, balanced, science-based information to policymakers, the media, the private sector, and the public.
CAST, through its network of experts, assembles, interprets, and communicates credible, balanced, science-based information to policymakers, the media, the private sector, and the public.
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July, 2010 | Council for Agricultural Science and Technology—Ames, Iowa
President of the African Development Bank
Update
June 2017 – Dr. Adesina named as the 2017 World Food Prize Laureate.
Akinwumi Adesina is currently the President of the African Development Bank. He previously served as Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development. Until his appointment as Minister in 2010, he was Vice President of Policy and Partnerships for the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA).
Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, was awarded the prestigious Forbes Africa Person of the Year for 2013.Adesina was nominated for his bold reforms in Nigeria’s agriculture sector. He has helped empower more than six million farmers across Nigeria to embrace agriculture as a business. A passionate defender of African farmers, Adesina is relentless in unlocking opportunities for farmers and changing Africa’s narrative on agriculture to wealth creation, away from poverty reduction.
Internationally acclaimed expert conveys his vision of world agriculture.
The prestigious 2010 Borlaug CAST Communication Award goes to Dr. Akin Adesina, a distinguished scientist, leader, and communicator who has been working passionately for Africa’s Green Revolution. Dr. Adesina currently serves as a vice president for the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), where he helps set policy and advises former U.N. Secretary Kofi Annan, the current Chairman of the Board of AGRA. A world-class scholar, Dr. Adesina influences policymakers with his informed speeches, published papers, and tireless leadership, but he is also known for his “common sense realism.” As he says, “Agriculture is the key to poverty reduction and broad-based economic growth in Africa.”
Dr. Adesina received the award during the CropLife America (CLA) 2010 Annual Meeting on September 25 in Naples, Florida. CAST President Dr. Todd Peterson presented the unique bronze statue to Dr. Adesina, who then spoke to the CLA audience and shared his thoughts on the importance of scientific research and communications in modern agriculture. Joining Dr. Adesina will be Julie Borlaug, granddaughter of Dr. Norman Borlaug and Assistant Director of Partnerships for the Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture. The Borlaug CAST Communication Award honors the legacies of Nobel Prize winner Dr. Borlaug and Dr. Charles A. Black, the first president of CAST. These men embodied the passion for agricultural research and technology, as well as the dedication to communicating and sharing the accomplishments of agriculture, that the CAST award recognizes annually.
With a long list of accomplishments, Dr. Adesina exemplifies the spirit of the CAST award. He earned a Ph.D. in agricultural economics at Purdue University and has subsequently published scores of scientific papers, delivered numerous keynote addresses, and garnered several awards including the Yara Prize for a Green Revolution in Africa presented in Oslo, Norway. At the time, Dr. Adesina stated that “Africa needs a unique Green Revolution…one that takes into consideration Africa’s diversity.” He noted the continent’s varied crops, its biodiversity, its different conservation issues, and the fact that many of Africa’s farmers are women.
Dr. Adesina has also worked with the Rockefeller Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He was described by his colleagues as a “driving force” behind the landmark Africa Fertilizer Summit, at which 40 heads of state agreed to solve Africa’s fertilizer crisis in the advancement toward an African Green Revolution. Dr. Adesina has repeatedly proved that he possesses the unique ability to “design, inspire, and galvanize support” for agricultural programs. He is passionate about communicating his ideas and solutions in an effort to help others.
This year’s award is sponsored by the CropLife Foundation, an organization dedicated to science-based research and discovery in modern agriculture. The Borlaug CAST Communication Award is presented annually to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in his or her area of expertise within the agricultural, environmental, or food sciences sectors, and they are recognized by their peers as individuals who communicate the importance of their scientific achievements to policymakers, the news media, and the public. Since 1986, CAST has honored 23 outstanding scientists.
