Celebrating Black History Month

February 2025 – The Faculty of Land and Food Systems is fortunate to welcome Black scholars who bring diverse experiences to the classroom, and the wider UBC community. These students are motivated to be innovators in agriculture and food systems globally – from addressing food security as climate extremes become more prevalent, improving the quality and marketability of indigenous agricultural products, to ensuring food processing is safer and more efficient.

Learn about these future leaders, and how they have adapted to student life in Canada.

Kanaan Selasie Doe-Addo, Master of Food Science

Kanaan Selasie Doe-Addo is working towards a career as a research and development scientist, where he hopes to be on the leading-edge of developing new, sustainable food and packaging products.

He developed an interest in food systems during his undergraduate degree at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, Ghana. He learned about food science, technology, and the importance of protecting and harvesting indigenous crops.

Read more about Doe-Addo’s story here.

Josephine Nabwami, Master of Food and Resource Economics

Josephine Nabwami believes education is a powerful tool for solving pressing issues in society. Her academic and professional experiences have inspired her to contribute meaningfully to Uganda’s agricultural sector by promoting sustainable farming practices and financial stability for smallholder farmers.

“Unpredictable weather is a challenge in agriculture, and stabilizing farmer incomes is critical,” says Nabwami, a Mastercard Foundation Scholar in the Master of Food and Resource Economics program.

Oluwafemi Ojo, Master of Food and Resource Economics

Oluwafemi Ojo first learned about climate change from the documentary series Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey in 2016. One episode showed how climate change is an existential threat to humanity, which left a lasting impression on him particularly because shortly after airing, his home state in Nigeria was struck by drought.

“There was about six months when it didn’t rain, and it started right after the planting season, so all the farmers’ seeds decayed in the soil,” Ojo said. “I felt so concerned thinking we would be in a lot of trouble.”

Temilola Olowookere, Master of Nutrition and Dietetics

Growing up in Nigeria, Temilola Olowookere developed a deep appreciation for how food could bring people together and mark life’s milestones.

“Food had cultural and community significance,” she says. “It celebrated births, naming ceremonies, and even commemorated deaths. For example, akara (bean fritters) is traditionally eaten for seven days to honour the passing of an elder.”

Read more about Olowookere’s story here.

Joseph Sarfo Tabi, Master of Land and Water Systems

Adapting to life in a new country has been an adventure for Joseph Sarfo Tabi, a Mastercard Foundation Scholar.

Travelling from his hometown in the Ashanti region of Ghana, he landed in Vancouver on August 1, 2024, to start the Master of Land and Water Systems (MLWS) program. While he was happy to finally be in Canada, he remembers feeling chilly even in the height of summer.

“It was sunny when we landed at the airport, but I was already feeling cold compared to home,” Tabi recalls, as he reassured himself he would be able to cope.