CAST names Maredia 2026 Borlaug communication award recipient
The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology, Ames, Iowa, has named Karimbhai M. Maredia, professor, associate dean and director of the World Agriculture Center at Michigan State University’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, as the 2026 recipient of the Borlaug CAST Communication Award. The award will be presented at a ceremony Dec. 10 at the Library of Congress in Washington.
The communications award recognizes a scientist who has effectively communicated agricultural science and technology issues to a nontechnical audience. The award is named in honor of Norman E. Borlaug, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and the father of the Green Revolution.
A son of a dairy farmer, Maredia was born in a small village in Gujarat, India. He joined MSU in 1989 — having previously worked as a research scientist at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center in Mexico — and has spent more than 35 years building one of the most far-reaching science communication programs in international agriculture. As director of WorldTAP — the World Knowledge and Technology Access Program — he has traveled to more than 60 countries, disseminating knowledge, information and new technologies to the global agricultural community.
His scholarly output spans 130 papers, policy briefs and book chapters, and eight co-edited books on integrated pest management, technology transfer and agricultural extension. His work has been supported by USAID, USDA, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Bank, the Rockefeller Foundation, Winrock International and the Gates Foundation.
“The Borlaug CAST Communication Award exists for scientists like Karim Maredia — people who believe that research only fulfills its promise when it reaches the people it was meant to serve,” said Chris Boomsma, CAST CEO. “We are honored to recognize him.”
For more information, visit https://cast-science.org/2026-bcca/.
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