Dr. Joseph W. Glauber, former USDA chief economist and research fellow at IFPRI, has been awarded the 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award by CAST for his significant contributions to agricultural science and policy analysis. 

The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) has awarded Dr. Joseph W. Glauber, a research fellow emeritus at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and former chief economist of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the 2026 CAST Lifetime Achievement Award. The award recognizes individuals who have made extensive contributions to agricultural science, communication, and leadership.

Dr. Glauber has dedicated over four decades to understanding agricultural markets and informing policies that affect food security. His career at the USDA spanned 30 years, during which he served as chief economist from 2008 to 2014 and was the chief U.S. agricultural negotiator during the WTO Doha Round. He played a pivotal role in creating the G20’s Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS) in 2011. At IFPRI, Glauber has analyzed the impacts of various global events, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, focusing on their implications for food security. His insights have been referenced in over 13,000 media reports since 2021.

CAST CEO Chris Boomsma commended Dr. Glauber, stating, "For more than four decades, Joe Glauber has demonstrated how credible science can drive informed decisions in agriculture." IFPRI’s director general, Dr. Johan Swinnen, highlighted Dr. Glauber’s exceptional ability to analyze and explain the complexities of agricultural markets and policy effects.

The award ceremony is set for December 10, 2026, at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

Read the full press release: cast-science.org

Find out more about Joseph Glauber on his IFPRI profile page or by following him on X here.