The Sustain Theory of Change

Tree Diagram

Australia’s food system is failing us. This is a time for systemic, not incremental, transformation in food.

At Sustain, we can see this future food system taking root. It will be just, regenerative and led by local communities and First Nations peoples. In this resilient future, every Australian eats well.

As food system builders, we’re on a mission to make this vision of healthy, fair and sustainable food for all a reality.

Guiding our way is the Sustain Theory of Change. Taking our lead from the land, we’ve designed our organisation as a living forest system. To transform food, we work simultaneously at three layers of the food system – the system-setting canopy, knowledge & resource sharing trunk and place-based roots.

Sustain as a complete food system transformation agent

Working across the canopy, trunk and roots of the food system

Canopy

Creating the policy and funding conditions to enable healthy growth.

Trunk

Connecting the food system movement through knowledge & resource sharing.

Roots

Pioneering place-based innovations in real communities.

Canopy

Good public policy is the canopy of the food system. Enriched by resources from above and protected from shocks, just and resilient place-based food models can take root underneath. We are shaping an enabling policy, funding and governance canopy by:

Trunk

A trunk is a connecting network, ensuring signals and nutrients flow to where they’re needed most. We help move knowledge, resources and connections across a growing national ecosystem of food system change-makers through:

  • The Australian Food Network – 300+ food system change-makers now gather in this purpose-built community. Come and join us.
  • Regular events – like webinars, meet-ups and collective learning sessions for food system change-makers.
  • Urban Agriculture Month – our annual celebration has welcomed 47,000+ everyday Australians into their neighbourhood food system.
  • Urban Agriculture Forum – this biannual event catalyses system collaboration.

Roots

Our place-based innovations push into new soil and test what’s possible. Some find rich growing conditions – engaged communities, unmet needs or project designs that create real impact in people’s lives. Others hit dead-ends and naturally conclude. Our place-based work shapes how we see and tell the story of food system transformation. This lived experience is earned across:

  • Growing Food Justice – a community farm collective across three sites in Darebin, Melbourne.
  • First Nations and youth internships – working alongside Dardi Munwurro, this programme is changing lives.
  • Community project support – like culturally-specific green spaces or youth food security initiatives.

In our mission to transform food, our team’s diversity is our strength. Our policy experts shape the canopy through advocacy campaigns and policy consulting services. Our community connectors move up and down the trunk – hosting spaces for food change-makers to gather and learn together. Our citizen farmers work at the roots, testing community-level projects that make transformative growth possible.

Sustain is a complete food system transformation agent. While our team work across the canopy, trunk and roots layers of the food system, we always show up together.

Talk to us about about transforming food, together.

Our Impact Principles

Systemic change
Driving systemic change towards equity, sustainability and health in food systems through research, policy analysis and stakeholder engagement.

First Nations collaboration
Because the land we live on and eat from is always Country, we prioritise partnerships with First Nations communities according to their own needs & aspirations.

Place-based initiatives
We believe in people as agents of change. Through place-based projects, we build resilient local food systems owned by the people those systems serve.