Debisi Araba: Making Food Available and Affordable For Everyone
Ladderworks is a publishing platform of diverse picture books and online curriculum with the mission to empower over a million kids to become social entrepreneurs. Our current series features interviews by our interplanetary journalist Spiffy with inspiring Social Entrepreneurs, Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Builders, and Changemakers who are advancing the UN SDGs.
Spiffy here with the scoop on the entrepreneurial leaders of Planet Earth. As the only interplanetary journalist stationed on this blue planet, I’m thrilled to present this galactic exclusive with Debisi Araba, a visiting research fellow of Imperial College London. Let’s learn about what’s happening at Imperial College London and how Debisi is making a positive impact in the world.
Spiffy: Thanks for joining me, Debisi! Tell me, what challenge are you addressing during your time at Imperial College London?
Debisi: Thanks for having me, Spiffy! My work focuses on how we produce food in a way that makes it available and affordable to everyone, to make sure no one goes to bed hungry, and food production does no harm to the planet.
Spiffy: What motivates you to do it?
Debisi: My parents raised me to be curious about the world. They raised me to seek to understand our differences and diversity. This family foundation is my encouragement and motivation to stick with solving problems that make this world a better place for my neighbor, whether that is the person living next door, or in the next country, or on the next continent. We are all connected as we are all inhabitants of Planet Earth.
Spiffy: What is the impact of your work?
Debisi: One great thing about my work is that everyone benefits. We all eat food for nourishment. My work enables farmers to grow more food on the same size of land in a way that does not damage the environment. This means that we get to have healthier and more nutritious food available to us at affordable prices. My work also supports people who live in poorer countries, where access to safe and healthy food is not always available or affordable.
Spiffy: Tell me about a recent organization milestone or initiative. What impact does it make on your target audience?
Debisi: An organization I worked with previously launched guides to help governments and everyone else involved in producing, transporting, processing, and selling of food to understand how their activities were contributing to climate change. Our work involved showing these people how they could reduce their production of greenhouse gases and how they could also prevent climate change from negatively affecting their livelihood. Our work has prevented the production of excess carbon dioxide, thus reducing agricultural impact on climate change.
Spiffy: Is there anything else you would love to tell our audience?
Debisi: I did not start out to pursue a career in agriculture. My curiosity about my environment led me to a chance encounter with a now former employer. That got me to fall in love with the work of feeding the world, and doing it in a way that promotes equality, and allows millions of people who depend on agriculture for their work the ability to lead dignified lives through receiving stable income. Stay curious and seek to understand the world around you. It will lead you on an exciting journey!
Spiffy: Thanks for speaking with me today, Debisi—it’s been an honor!
Dr. Debisi Araba is a public policy, innovation, and strategy specialist focused on the future of food, the environment, and entrepreneurship. He is currently a visiting research fellow at the Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London. (First published on the Ladderworks website on September 19, 2023.)
The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect those of Ladderworks LLC.
© 2023 Ladderworks LLC. Edited by Shikha Tandon. Spiffy’s illustration by Shreyas Navare. For the Ladderworks digital curriculum to help K-3 kids advance the UN SDGs, visit Spiffy's Launchpad: Creative Entrepreneurship Workshops for K-3 Kids and their caregivers here.