Justice Equity Diversity and Inclusion leadership programme: Evaluation report

Twelve senior leaders participated in a six-month leadership journey combining in-person workshops, online leadership sessions, individual coaching and an accountability buddy model. The programme focused on leadership practice, power, culture, accountability and organisational change, positioning JEDI as a leadership responsibility rather than a compliance exercise.

The programme generated impact beyond individual learning. Participants reported taking practical action to embed JEDI within organisational strategy, governance, recruitment, communications and decision-making processes. The programme also strengthened relationships across organisations, creating trusted space for leaders to learn together, navigate challenges openly and build collective momentum around shared goals. These new and strengthened connections represent an important investment in the movement infrastructure needed to address the complex social, environmental and economic challenges facing our food system.

An accountability buddy model created opportunities for reflection, challenge and learning, while highlighting the importance of building structures that sustain momentum beyond the life of a funded programme.

This report shares the programme's outcomes, challenges and recommendations to inform future practice across the sustainable food and farming movement and wider charity sector. It also provides evidence that investing in leadership development is an effective strategy for strengthening organisational resilience, collaboration and long-term systems change.

Eating Better and Sustain remain committed to building leadership capacity across the movement and we hope to see this work become increasingly collective, shared and embedded across the sector. We invite other organisation and funders that are interested in this work to get in touch and explore this future with us.

The programme was funded by Farming the Future and facilitated by New Ways.