Food is essential, yet for many Black communities around the world, access to healthy, affordable options remains a struggle. In this episode, Amanda Parris investigates the causes and consequences of food insecurity, exploring the deep connections between industrial agriculture, land dispossession, and systemic inequities.

Amanda begins in Toronto, visiting community-led initiatives that provide culturally relevant food while strengthening local resilience. She examines the Toronto Black Food Sovereignty Plan, a
pioneering framework designed to shift control of food systems into the hands of Black communities. From there, she travels to the Bronx, New York, where urban farms transform vacant lots into vibrant community gardens, challenging the narrative of “food deserts” and empowering residents.

In Kenya, Amanda meets smallholder farmers and advocates who are preserving Indigenous practices, building sustainable agroecological systems, and challenging restrictive seed laws that favour corporate profit over local self-determination. In Jamaica, she explores how colonial history and dependence on imported foods have shaped the current food landscape, leaving communities vulnerable to price fluctuations and scarcity.

Throughout her travels, Amanda also connects with chefs and educators using food as a tool for cultural reclamation, teaching communities to grow, cook, and celebrate foods that reflect their
histories. By centering Black voices and experiences, this episode underscores that food insecurity is not merely a matter of scarcity, but a question of power, access, and justice. Black Food Sovereignty reveals the ways Black communities are reclaiming control over what they eat, where it comes from, and who benefits, offering a vision for sustainable and self-determined
food systems.

Part of For the Culture, Series 2.