It has been a year full of ‘pinch me’ moments and sector firsts. I’ve had the privilege of co-creating new spaces for connection and movement building on racial justice in food and farming, mentored and consulted for incredible organisations, and built on improving accessibility for a more diverse and inclusive sector.
Movement building: workshops and mentoring
I joined Sustain just as our movement building programme and How to be an Anti-Racist Organisation workshop series were getting underway. I collaborated with Eating Better and Social Justice Collective to deliver three workshops to ~30 organisations across the sector. The feedback was very appreciative,
‘Very impactful and a great non judgmental space made for good growth and development’
A reminder of how valuable safe, honest spaces are when doing racial justice work. Our sector relevant context and practical tools supported participants to make changes in their organisations.
Over the year, I also mentored 21 people from 7 organisations, supporting them to embed anti-racism and equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) practices within their work.
Collaboration at the heart
Cross sector collaboration has been central to my time at Sustain. Alongside Idman Abdurahaman from Eating Better, I co-facilitated the Food and racial justice working group, bringing together 45 passionate colleagues from across the sector. Together, we co-created The Gathering Table - the first ever UK summit on racial justice in food and farming, hosted by Sustain, Eating Better and AFN Network+.
The Gathering Table was a joyful day filled with storytelling, decolonial practices and participatory action. It was another step towards building an anti-racist movement in our sector.
‘Thank you! It was a really inspiring, energising and informative day that didn't shy away from the challenges of this work. It was well-paced and the efforts to make everyone feel welcome and included were really effective. I left feeling hopeful about change being possible, and I loved how the tone of the day - a gentle, caring, open energy - reflected the changes we want to see in the food system as we work towards decolonising it. Really excellent.’
We used the summit to soft launch Culture Roots Collective – a new platform for Black and people of colour (BPOC) working in food and farming, co-developed with colleagues from BVEDS, AFN Network+ and Eating Better. The first of it’s kind in the UK.
As part of the launch, I hosted Unearthing Empire: food, land and colonial legacies in the UK with guest speakers, Corinne Fowler and Naomi Terry. This was a personal highlight for me and with over 400 registrations, the demand for this under-discussed topic is clear.
With more events and content planned for Culture Roots Collective, this platform will continue to uplift and celebrate BPOC voices while helping bring more people into the sector.
Inspired by our learnings from this movement building, Sustain and Eating Better are co-developing a new toolkit, 'Disrupt to transform: alternative approaches to movement building'. With a focus on relationships, decoloniality, care and creativity, this will support the sector to progress an anti-racist agenda.
Careers, representation and Roots to Work
Another focus this year has been on increasing access to careers in sustainable food and farming. I ran student careers workshops at universities across the UK and helped develop an upcoming internship at Sustain designed to support diverse new entrants into the sector.
‘I think it was a great session. Would give ideas to people who hadn't thought much about careers yet.’
Through Roots to Work, I’ve tried to make recruitment fairer and more inclusive. I updated our inclusive recruitment guidance, and we introduced a new policy requiring all job postings to include salaries or salary ranges. I also authored 35 articles over the year – showcasing diverse talent, training opportunities, resources, and writing practical pieces on topics such as ‘How to diversify your board’.
It was particularly significant for me to host a careers webinar with an all BPOC panel, highlighting the diverse talent in the sector, sharing common career insights. More webinars are scheduled in the coming months.
We are also developing an anti-oppression lens to embed equity in all our work. This approach will be shared with the broader network to support meaningful change across the sector.
Sharing knowledge and speaking out
I have advised partners such as Sustainable Food Places, Food Sense Wales, Soil Association and DISHED in an EDI capacity and have collaborated with Eating Better on their JEDI leadership project (launching 2026). I’ve also spoken at sector events in the UK and abroad, including Radical honesty in action: paving the way for food and racial Justice at the Oxford Real Farming Conference. We hope to build on these conversations at next year’s event.
My Year in Numbers
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1 pilot movement building programme
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3 anti-racism workshops
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21 mentees
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70 attendees at The Gathering Table
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6 food and racial justice working group meetings
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35 articles on Roots to Work
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5 careers workshops
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4 consultation projects
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2 resources (in development)
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1 RACE report
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1 entire website
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6697 Roots to Work mailing list members
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2 packed rooms at Oxford Real Farming Conference
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1 internship opportunity developed
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30 incredible Sustain colleagues
Gratitude and next steps
To my wonderful colleagues at Sustain – thank you. You have been warm, intelligent and fiercely passionate about this work. I’ve learnt so much from each of you, and I leave this role feeling energised and hopeful for what’s next.
As I step into a new chapter, I’m open to new opportunities and collaborations. If you’d like to connect or continue the conversation on racial justice in food and farming, you can find me on LinkedIn.
Keep following Roots to Work for exciting updates and new projects.
