This pilot initiative brings together 12 senior leaders dedicated to advancing Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) beyond traditional EDI frameworks - towards deeper cultural and systemic transformation.
Why leadership matters
Leadership often acts as both an enabler and a barrier to progress. Equity centred leadership matters here because the food and farming system is already shaped by a number of inequities, so “neutral” leadership tends to keep those patterns in place rather than challenging and changing them. This programme is about leaders actively recognising and challenging how power, resources and decision-making are distributed in their organisations and across the wider food system. The goal is to work towards generating organisational and movement cultures rooted in equity and anti-racism.
In March 2026, leaders from the participating organisations (Better Food Traders, Bite Back, Eating Better, Farming the Future, Food Ethics Council, Food Foundation, Foodrise, Obesity Health Alliance, Nourish Scotland, Soil Association, SOS UK and Sustain) joined facilitator Letesia Gibson of New Ways and programme leads Idman Abdurahaman and Sareta Puri from Sustain to begin the journey, following individual coaching calls and surveys. Each leader is also paired with an accountability buddy from their organisation to support their journey and ensure sustained action throughout the programme.
What comes next
As the cohort continues to learn and collaborate, we’ll share a deeper dive into the programme’s content, insights and outcomes once it wraps up this summer.
Together, we hope to spark ripples of lasting impact across the wider food system.
