As a convenor and leader, Arrell Food Institute often has the pleasure of working with many talented and inspiring people. Engaging with people who bring different perspectives and expertise is one of the ways to help mobilize knowledge and create change.

Among these partnerships is one with Professor Sir David Nabarro and the 4SD Foundation. Recently, AFI and the University of Guelph welcomed David to campus for a multi-day visit that consisted of captivating conversations and a very special recognition.

As part of its work in developing an agriculture technology strategy for Canada, AFI is hosting a series of roundtables to hear from stakeholders about opportunities and barriers in sustainable agricultural technology. The first roundtable occurred during David’s visit and gave him the chance to meet with participants and provide insights that he has from his global experience. Currently, David is Strategic Director of 4SD Foundation, Co-Director of the Institute of Global Health Innovation and Professor of Global Health at Imperial College London. He has served as Special Envoy of the UN World Health Organization on COVID-19 and has led the Food Workstream in the UN Global Crisis Response Group on Food, Energy and Finance (GCRG) since March 2022.

Given David’s comprehensive background working on critical global issues and solutions, AFI Director, Dr. Evan Fraser, sat down with him to talk about what we can each do to address some of the critical issues and demands the food system is facing today. U of G PhD candidates, Deus Mugabe and Emily Duncan also posed questions to which David had profound insights.

Training future food leaders is a priority for AFI. As part of the visit, U of G graduate students including Arrell Scholars had the opportunity to meet David at a social event, also attended by AFI staff, and share highlights of their research and discuss the ways that their work can have the potential to improve different parts of the food system.

This encouragement that David offers future leaders was further reflected in the convocation address he gave on June 13, where he received a Doctor of Laws honoris causa, recognizing his monumental work in international development. While congratulating the graduates on their achievement, David spoke about the global issues he has worked on and provided advice for how these graduates can tackle challenges that they encounter in their future journeys. David expressed to “welcome complexity,” “be relentlessly curious,” and “be ruthless about connecting with others.”

The AFI team is grateful for the discussions and compelling conversations with David. The opportunity to hear more about what he has learned including the impact that can be made when people are brought together was informative and instrumental as we convene and gather on topics that matter most to food.

AFI and 4SD Foundation continue to work together. Director of Operations, Alice Raine, joined the 4SD Foundation team and other network members for an immersive workshop and planning session on living systems change in June. We look forward to continuing our collaborations with him and the 4SD Foundation team as we aim for a sustainable, reliable, and just food system.