Food sovereignty is defined as the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems. A sustainable food system in London’s future will need growers from its minoritized communities, in particular Black people and people of colour (BPOC).
The challenges and needs of BPOC food growers must be addressed in order to inspire, mentor and nourish new entrants.
LION (Land in Our Names) has undertaken research to identify and capture data and stories of experienced BPoC social enterprise growers in and around London. Their report showcases the passion and growing wisdom our BPOC growers bring to London’s social enterprise growing scene and the multitude of challenges they face in a system which offers little support for them. The entrance and retention of BPOC food growers demands greater access to financial resources, mentoring and enterprise development.
Read the full report here.
This research is part of Rootz into Food Growing, a 16 month-long collaborative project between Ubele Initiative, Black Rootz, OrganicLea and Land in Our Names. It aims to challenge and disrupt some of the structural inequalities that exist within the current UK food growing sector through the creation of a network of BPOC growers in the pan-London area who will receive relevant skills development and training opportunities enabling them to grow for social enterprise.
Illustration by Javie Huxley, commissioned by LION. @javhux
