By: Karina Bedoya-Ross, Maria Elena Alvarado-Rodriguez, and Daniel Ross
We recently visited Portland, Oregon to participate in the Resilience and Resistance: Cross-Pollinating Food Movements Conference - a space where food justice leaders, organizers, and community-rooted thinkers explored how we sustain the work of community food systems and the people responsible for sustaining them.
DAISA was honored and excited to present on a topic we are very proud of: how we developed internal practices rooted in collective leadership and non-extractive models, aligned with our values.
Food justice work isn’t just about transforming broken systems, it’s also about not replicating those systems inside our organizations.
With over 30 participants, we discussed and shared practices for how food systems organizations can strive for impact while making our best effort not to perpetuate harm. In an era of uncertainty, burnout, and political shifts and backlash, we are constantly asking, “How do we build our organizations to not only strive for impact but also thrive with integrity, care, and sustainability?”
DAISA was honored and excited to present on a topic we are very proud of: how we developed internal practices rooted in collective leadership and non-extractive models, aligned with our values.
Food justice work isn’t just about transforming broken systems, it’s also about not replicating those systems inside our organizations.
With over 30 participants, we discussed and shared practices for how food systems organizations can strive for impact while making our best effort not to perpetuate harm. In an era of uncertainty, burnout, and political shifts and backlash, we are constantly asking, “How do we build our organizations to not only strive for impact but also thrive with integrity, care, and sustainability?”
We shared how DAISA is reimagining what a workplace can be—how we’re embedding equity into operations, leadership, and culture. This session was more than a presentation. It was a call to deepen our values within, as we seek transformation outwardly.
The work isn't just about systems. It's about the people inside them.
This is why we've taken a hard look inward at our workplace, our practices, and how we show up for each other, developing inclusive and supportive policies and culture.
In this conversation in Portland, we walked through our DAISA Decision-Making Principles, a living guide that helps us navigate power, equity, and clarity in how decisions get made.
Instead of defaulting to hierarchy or urgency, we ask:
One of our most powerful internal tools is the DAISA Reciprocity Framework, which guides how we care for our team and hold shared accountability.
Reciprocity is the mutual exchange of value, support, and growth between DAISA and its team members, where everyone is both contributing to and benefiting from our shared mission.
We use it to assess when:
The work isn't just about systems. It's about the people inside them.
This is why we've taken a hard look inward at our workplace, our practices, and how we show up for each other, developing inclusive and supportive policies and culture.
In this conversation in Portland, we walked through our DAISA Decision-Making Principles, a living guide that helps us navigate power, equity, and clarity in how decisions get made.
Instead of defaulting to hierarchy or urgency, we ask:
- Who’s closest to the work and best positioned to decide?
- How do we bring humility and feedback into the process?
- Can we take risks and learn out loud? without fear?
One of our most powerful internal tools is the DAISA Reciprocity Framework, which guides how we care for our team and hold shared accountability.
Reciprocity is the mutual exchange of value, support, and growth between DAISA and its team members, where everyone is both contributing to and benefiting from our shared mission.
We use it to assess when:
- Team members need more support to meet expectations
- We as an organization need to recalibrate commitments to clients
- There’s a disconnect between intention and impact
(The image above is from DAISA’s Reciprocy Framework. Contact us to download the full framework and other materials from these workshops)
We also shared how we’ve moved away from outdated productivity models. Instead, we ask:
These practices were created through collective learning through dialogue, not from a silo. We've been inspired to reimagine what work can look and how to challenge the conventional work culture:
- Are we progressing on project goals, thoughtfully and in collaboration?
- Are we contributing to DAISA’s culture, strategy, and sustainability?
- Are we communicating with clarity and care, both internally and externally?
These practices were created through collective learning through dialogue, not from a silo. We've been inspired to reimagine what work can look and how to challenge the conventional work culture:
- Holacracy – Our internal structure and committees were inspired by Holacracy - A model for decentralized decision-making. Instead of following the traditional methods of Top-down management, we’ve created clear roles and self-organizing teams that empower individual members to lead in areas aligned with their passions and strengths. Using this approach, we can stay flexible, values-driven, and collaborative - making space for shared leadership and deeper accountability across DAISA. (To learn more about our committees contact us!)
- Open Book Management – Transparency and shared ownership in finances
- 4-Day Workweek – In response to the trauma amplified by the pandemic and burnout throughout our team, we piloted and fully adopted the 4-day workweek to support rest and focus. Its already made a huge difference in our productivity and mental health without sacrificing our client connections. Instead of continuing to work 40 hours a week, we now work 32 hours M-Th. With more time to rest and reset, our team is showing deeper thinking and creativity. This is a great example of how when we priortize our team and wellbeing, the work gets better too.
- Co-op Business Models – While we remained an LLC, we borrowed tools from cooperative thinking to deepen engagement and transparency
- Gender justice & pronoun usage
- Racial equity and anti-oppression
- Neurodiversity in the workplace
- Trauma-informed leadership
Our session at Resilience and Resistance sparked incredible conversations about what it means to build organizations that are effective, equitable, and worth staying in. The tools we shared are still evolving, but the intention is clear:
We don’t want to win justice at the cost of our people.
We want to build justice with our people, starting inside.
So whether you’re leading a team, organizing community efforts, or holding up the back end of a justice-centered org, we hope this gives you something to reflect on. Something to bring back to your own workplace.
Food justice is not just about land and systems, it’s about the soil we’re growing in every day. And we believe that soil should be healthy, caring, and deeply rooted in our values.
DAISA is eager to keep building and learning in the community. If you'd like to explore these practices further, download our materials, or set up a conversation about incorporating them into your organziation, reach out through our contacts page or email Karina directly at [email protected].
Stay connected! Our upcoming webinar series will dive deeper into these frameworks, offering tools, care, and community to help you cultivate your own equity-rooted people-centered workplace.
We don’t want to win justice at the cost of our people.
We want to build justice with our people, starting inside.
So whether you’re leading a team, organizing community efforts, or holding up the back end of a justice-centered org, we hope this gives you something to reflect on. Something to bring back to your own workplace.
Food justice is not just about land and systems, it’s about the soil we’re growing in every day. And we believe that soil should be healthy, caring, and deeply rooted in our values.
DAISA is eager to keep building and learning in the community. If you'd like to explore these practices further, download our materials, or set up a conversation about incorporating them into your organziation, reach out through our contacts page or email Karina directly at [email protected].
Stay connected! Our upcoming webinar series will dive deeper into these frameworks, offering tools, care, and community to help you cultivate your own equity-rooted people-centered workplace.
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