John Babadara

Babadara headshot

Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow, 2022-23

  • Home country: Nigeria
  • Specialization: Agriculture and Rural Development: Agribusiness value chain systems and business development; Climate-smart agriculture initiatives
  • Current role: Program Associate, Precision Development Inc. (PxD)
  • Education: Master’s degree in Development Studies (Agriculture & Rural Development), Federal University of Dustin-MA; Master of Science in Plant Genetics & Molecular Biology, University of Ibadan; Bachelor of Science in Biology, University of Ilorin
  • Connect: jbb326 [at] cornell.edu (Email) | LinkedIn

John Babadara is a development professional with over six years of experience leading community-based and climate-smart agriculture initiatives in Nigeria. He has managed programs focused on food security, agribusiness, climate planning, agro-processing, and farmer’s capacity building. His projects have involved digital extension, value chain development, access to postharvest technology, financial inclusion, insurance onboarding, and agri-food investment strategies. John is currently the Nigeria program associate for the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), running the rural poor stimulus facility (RPSF) project. The RPSF is aimed at supporting 100,000 smallholder farmers from Sahel and Sudan Savanah who are participating in the IFAD Climate Change Adaptation and Agribusiness Support Program (CASP). In addition to leading PxD-Nigeria’s project strategy, he is involved in pioneering the human-centered design (HCD) approach to developing innovative and scalable products that could transform the food system and agriculture landscape in Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA). John contributes to randomized control trials (RCT) design, surveys, and relevant assessments to generate evidence-based knowledge and practice. Furthermore, John is a co-founder of AceAgric, an agri-tech startup leveraging technology to transform agriculture in Nigeria. He holds a BSc (ED) in Biology from the University of Ilorin and MSc in Plant Genetics & Molecular Biology from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. In 2021, he earned his second Master’s degree in Development Studies with a specialization in agriculture and rural development at the Federal University Dutsin-MA, Katsina, Nigeria.