Wes Jackson is an American environmentalist.  His main concerns are modern agriculture and the future problems that will result from careless agricultural practices.

Jackson was born in 1936 in Topeka, Kansas.  He grew up as the son of a farmer, and after working variously jobs and attending several universities, he received his doctorate from North Carolina State University. 

Jackson is currently a plant geneticist and the co-founder of the Land Institute.  This organization works to redefine agriculture for generations to come.  Jackson feels that agriculture today results in the depletion of topsoil, reduction of genetic diversity, and destruction of small rural communities.  In addition to all this, he holds that American culture tries to justify these harmful effects by saying that they are necessary.  However, Jackson believes that by finding alternative farming methods, including perennial crops, agriculture can exist sustainably. 

Jackson is a critic of the "culture" of agriculture: of current methods for planting, growing, harvesting, and consuming.  He feels that behind this culture lies an emphasis on material gain at the price of long-term environmental destruction.  According to Jackson, Americans need to regain connectedness to the land by reexamining their morals.