Visionary Scientist for African Agriculture Award

About this program

OCP North America offers the Visionary Scientist for African Agriculture Award to a senior agronomic, crop, or soil scientist in recognition of one exceptionally significant individual achievement addressing major challenges in African agriculture (e.g., soil fertility, crop nutrition, agronomy, climate adaptation/mitigation, or value‑chain optimization); the recipient receives $3,000, a one‑year ASA/CSSA/SSSA membership if not already a member, and waived Annual Meeting registration. Nominees must have a minimum of 15 years’ experience and demonstrable, quantifiable impact on African agriculture; nominations and self‑nominations are accepted. Nominations (in English) must include the nominator’s current position title and CV, a statement of the nominator’s direct knowledge (max 6000 characters), the nominee’s CV (including country of origin, education, and professional background), a nominee statement describing work and impact (up to 1,500 words/9,000 characters), years of experience, and reference letters (organizational letters must be signed by an executive officer). Nominators need not be society members in the first year, but members of the ACS Awards Committee and the ASA, CSSA, and SSSA Boards of Directors may not serve as nominators, nominees, or references; submissions are accepted annually from January through March 25 and are evaluated on measurable impact, credibility, integrity, professionalism, and innovation.