Diversity outreach

Sustain's diversity outreach programme seeks to centre racial justice and strengthen ethnic diversity representation across the sustainable food and farming sector. Sustain staff, colleagues, alliance members and many others in the food system have a profound commitment to promoting equity, meaning that we want to promote justice, diversity and inclusion across a wide range of characteristics. We recognise that there are entrenched and structural causes of inequity and want to play a part in tackling these, and to be helpful allies to those leading the way. In particular, we recognise the extent and depth of racial inequality and racial injustice in the food system and want to do what we can to help address this. 

We want to be open and transparent about what we are doing, and be open to challenge. We also want to encourage momentum and innovation in our sector, and to participate in the sharing of good ideas about how to bring about change.

Diversity outreach programme

In 2023 we established our diversity outreach programme which aims to highlight and tackle structural injustice in the food and farming system through movement building, convening and learning.

Through our diversity outreach work, we aim to improve opportunities for people of diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds and personal characteristics to have their voices heard, gain access to learning, skills, land and resources; and to gain employment and influence in the food and farming sector. We work closely with Eating Better, a sister alliance and member of Sustain on much of this work. 

So far the programme has:

• Established a food and racial justice working group.
• Hosted the first ever food and racial justice summit.
• Developed and delivered anti-racism training and mentoring.
• Created a JEDI (justice, equity, diversity and inclusion) leadership programme.
• Developed resources to support more equitable employment practices.
• Hosted learning opportunities on decolonising the food system.
• Co-created a platform to amplify Black people and people of colour in the sector.
• Supported colleagues to centre racial justice, diversity, equity and inclusion in projects and campaigns.