They Didn’t Know We Were Seeds leverages research, storytelling, cultural production, and social design to expose and disrupt colonial dynamics in food systems. Building on The Outspoken Native’s mission to challenge colonial legacies, this program mobilizes participants to reimagine food systems through actionable insights and creative expressions.
The food system is one of the main drivers of climate change, the largest contributor to nature depletion, and a major risk factor for water scarcity. At the same time, it is the #1 employer of people below the poverty line, with over 800 million people undernourished—and rising.
Deep-rooted power imbalances between the Global North and South perpetuate these challenges. Those who produce the world’s food, predominantly in the Global South, remain trapped in extractive systems, while consumers in the Global North often remain unaware of these inequities. Colonial patterns continue to lock the current extractive and unhealthy food system in place, and existing technical and academic approaches have failed to address the root causes at the speed and scale required.
How can we surface and shine a light on where these patterns are showing up? How can we express these in a powerful way that moves people? How can we provide people with drive and inspiration to repattern?
To uncover and address colonial patterns in the global food system by fostering creativity, critical dialogue, and actionable pathways, empowering creators and audiences to reimagine and repattern food systems toward justice, equity, and sustainability.
We are seeking to work with individuals with the following characteristics:
Key Components: