UPROOT Racism in the Food System
Why We Do It
We are working to uproot racism in the food system by focusing on three areas in need of transformation:
JUSTICE | We need equity in access to land, sustenance, and power in the food system. The food system is built upon land theft and genocide of indigenous people and the exploitation of Black and Brown labor. Black farmers currently operate around 1.2% of the nation’s farms, having lost over 12 million acres to USDA discrimination, racist violence, and legal trickery. 78% of the people working the land in the US are Latinx migrant workers, yet only 3% of farms are owned and operated by Latinxs. People of color are disproportionately likely to live under food apartheid and suffer from diabetes, heart disease, and other diet related illness. Labor laws continue to permit the exploitation of farm and food workers.
ECOLOGY | We must reverse industrial agriculture’s damage to the planet and harm to vulnerable communities. Industrial agriculture is responsible for 24% of greenhouse gas emissions, 70% of water use, and 37% of land use. Environmental impacts of climate change, pesticide exposure, and toxic pollutants harm communities of color disproportionately. Regenerative farming practices rooted in African-Indigenous wisdom and technologies are part of the solution to feeding the world without undermining its ecology, and have been ignored, erased, or appropriated by mainstream society.
HEALING | It is time to heal from a history of oppression that has disconnected our communities from land. A history of land-based oppression and forced migration have resulted in a concentration of people of color in urban environments, often devoid of the psycho-spiritual and somatic benefits of connection to the earth. “Nature deficit disorder” can lead to ADHD, anxiety, depression, poor eyesight, and lower achievement in school. Lack of access to quality food and outdoor play is putting youth at higher risk for early onset diabetes and learning challenges, and later in life, heart disease, sleep apnea, psychological challenges, stroke, and cancer.
SEED Community Food Sovereignty
What We Do
We are working to seed community food sovereignty by focusing on four goal areas:
REGENERATE | We use Afro-indigenous agroforestry, silvopasture, wildcrafting, polyculture, and ancestral farming practices to regenerate 80 acres of mountainside land, producing fruits, plant medicine, pasture-raised livestock, honey, mushrooms, cultural seeds, and vegetables, with the majority of the harvest provided to people living under food apartheid and targeted by state violence. Our ancestral farming practices build topsoil, sequester soil carbon, and increase biodiversity. Buildings are designed to minimize impact on the environment in construction and use, and be durable for generations to come.
EQUIP | Through our “Afro-Indigenous Farming” immersion and workshops we annually equip hundreds of adults and youth with the land-based skills needed to reclaim leadership as farmers and food justice organizers in their communities, to heal their relationship with earth, and to imagine bolder futures. Using land as a tool to heal from racial trauma, we work to reverse the dangerously low percentage of farms being owned and operated by people of color and increase the leadership of people of color in the food justice movement. Through our Fellowship Program, graduates receive ongoing support to access resources, land, funding, mentorship, and platform.
MOBILIZE | We are mobilizing the public to create a racially just food system. We collaborate with regional, national, and international food sovereignty coalitions to advance reparations, establish action platforms, and work on campaigns for farmer survival and dignity. Each year, we inspire thousands of community members through speaking at conferences, publishing articles/book chapters, and facilitating workshops for activists to share tangible methods for dismantling racism in the food system and increasing community food sovereignty.
SUSTAIN | We uplift radical community care. In line with our work to advance healing justice and liberation in the wider community, we commit to an internal team culture that uplifts compassionate communication, ample rest, distributed leadership, fair compensation, and investment in personal and professional development. We maintain an organizational infrastructure that is responsive, transparent, and accountable.
What are our measurable outcomes
for 2026?
How We Do It
Summary of our 2026 Strategic Goals:
FARM ECOSYSTEM
- Maintain ≥10% soil organic matter; keep ≥75% cropland in perennials and ≥90% of annuals mulched or cover cropped.
- Renew USDA conservation programs and maintain Certified Naturally Grown status.
- Strengthen climate resilience through improved SOPs for heat, smoke, pests, weather safety, and distributed leadership.
- Redesign and replant perennial polyculture for plant medicine, nursery stock, and value-added products.
- Install high tunnel drainage, replace walk-in cooler, and maintain root cellar functionality.
- Advance silvopasture by expanding sheep integration, improving poultry systems, and training a second livestock guardian dog.
- Conduct 2 partner-farm brigades per year.
- Save and distribute seeds from 8+ culturally significant varieties.
- Reduce waste through durable materials, circular exchanges, and on-farm composting.
SOLIDARITY SHARES
- Provide Solidarity Shares to 100+ individuals (25–30 households) with improved weekly distributions.
- Double institutional shares to 6–8 partners, reaching 500+ people weekly; launch herbal medicine share.
- Maintain 80%+ participant-reported positive impact on health and household economics.
- Sponsor 30 year-round shares through the Schenectady Food Box Program.
- Continue gleaning and add “pick-your-own” harvesting during Work & Learn Days.
FARM-TO-TABLE
- Serve 1,500+ meals, with 75% of produce sourced from the farm.
- Produce 1,200+ value-added products and pilot wholesale herbs and a self-serve farm store.
LAND & INFRASTRUCTURE
- Complete major campus improvements: Abode garage, Lodge renovations, ADA pathways, multilingual signage.
- Expand native plantings, campus arts, forest trails, and improve road access.
- Pilot the first FIRE/Builders Immersion collaboration.
FARMER TRAINING
- Train 80+ BIPOC farmers through 4 immersions (3 FIRE, 1 Farm-to-Table).
- Pilot a FIRE + Builders combined immersion.
- Improve alumni impact data and tracking.
- Deliver: 2 carpentry workshops, 2 in-person 3D BIPOC skill shares, 2 virtual 3D skill shares, 3 bilingual milpa programs, and open skillshares (200+ participants total).
SOUL FIRE IN THE CITY
- Build 10 new gardens and support 30 existing gardens.
- Provide perennial shrubs to all interested gardeners.
- Offer heavy metal testing and remediation support to 5+ households.
- Expand mentorship and mutual aid networks.
- Host 2 community gatherings for SFitC participants.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
- Host 16 Work & Learn Days for 300+ people.
- Offer 6 farm tours, including Spanish-language and infrastructure tours.
- Host 10-12 organizations through campus-sharing, welcoming 120-140 visitors and 50+ overnights.
- Host SOULstice for 300+ attendees.
- Offer 6-10 emergent programs plus 4+ off-farm workshops.
- Engage 75+ youth across 2 Soul Fire Family Days and 3 Garden Clubs.
FELLOWSHIP & ALUMNI SERVICES
Braiding Seeds
- Welcome 10 fellows (Cohort 5) into the Braiding Seeds Fellowship with improved onboarding.
- Provide site visits, TA, and legal stipends up to $5K each for fellows.
- Strengthen alumni support for 42 members through gatherings, brigades, and regranting.
- Invest in climate-resilient builds, including one $100K project.
- Complete Alabama apprenticeship pilot evaluation and deepen partnerships.
SFF Alumni
- Regrant $30K to 30+ alumni
- Train 100 alumni through 5 Technical Exchanges
- Amplify 8 alumni voices via the SOVEREIGN Podcast, reaching 70K listeners
- Provide 50 alumni consultations (virtual, phone, in-person, GNC)
- Host 25 alumni overnight at an Alumni Reunion Campout
- Share 600+ resources annually through newsletters and community opportunities
COALITIONS
- Collaborate with HEAL, LIFE, NBFJA, the Mohican Nation, and the Community of Praxis on landback, reparations, and farmworker dignity campaigns.
- Advocate for 3 priority policy bills (2 federal, 1 state) through coalition and independent action
- Launch 1-2 collaborative programs with regional BIPOC partners and participate in 2+ coalition committees/initiatives
- Provide technical assistance to 25-50 movement partners beyond alumni
- Deepen federal relationships with 2 Congressional offices through 8 total touchpoints and 1 in-district event
- Engage 4 alumni directly in advocacy efforts
- Strengthen partnership systems by screening 12 new partnership requests and completing 8+ time-limited collaborations
- Honor Mohican solidarity and landback commitments by stewarding blue maize (year 8), remitting seed proceeds, hosting Mohican visitors annually, sharing 5+ Mohican updates, and advancing legal work for a 250-acre landback initiative
PUBLICATIONS & MEDIA
- Reach 200,000+ people annually through media, reels, videos, blogs, and publications.
- Implement new Social Media SOP and impact metrics.
- Deliver: 100,000+ EOTO views, 80,000+ Sovereign Lives, 10,000+ YouTube views, 11,000+ blog subscribers, 5,000+ book sales.
- Complete manuscript for Children of the Land book.
UPROOTING RACISM & PUBLIC SPEAKING
- Train 120–300 participants in Uprooting Racism.
- Reach 3,000 attendees across 25 speaking events.
- Table at 8+ events and engage 20+ youth.
WORK CULTURE, GOALS & POLICIES
- Acheive 80%+ staff satisfaction across wellness, communication, and professional development.
- Increase PD participation by 20% and certify all staff in First Aid.
- Expand benefits access, including QSEHRA for domestic partners.
- Strengthen SOPs, role clarity, and shared leadership practices.
FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION
- Maintain 12-month operating reserve and ethical, diversified income.
- Ensure 100% on-time grant reporting.
- Strengthen development capacity and administrative redundancy.
- Improve efficiency through Zapier and create a centralized SOP index.
- Advance mission-aligned investments.
IMPACT RATIO
- Serve 150+ participants per staff FTE with staffing increasing to 17.2 FTE through strategic hires.