Reflections from Nairobi
This month, Plant Futures had the incredible honor of attending the first-ever AVA Africa Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, where 240 advocates from 37 countries gathered to envision and co-create a more just, sustainable, and plant-centered future. Together, we explored the intersections of animal advocacy, food justice, health, and human rights, all within the rich cultural and ecological landscape of East Africa.
A Learning Journey in Solidarity
We had the privilege of representing Plant Futures at the summit. From the moment we arrived, we were immersed in a learning journey filled with listening, absorbing, and deeply reflecting on the powerful work happening across the African continent.
The summit made it clear that plant-centered food systems are not just about diet. They are a keystone solution that connects with many of the world’s most urgent challenges, including food insecurity, climate change, animal rights, human rights, and public health. The narratives we heard wove these threads together with fierce clarity and compassion.
Cross-Continental Parallels
We found deep resonance between the advocacy work happening across Africa and our efforts in Latin America. Both regions are contending with the colonial legacies embedded in their food systems, and both are building movements rooted in decolonial, plant-forward futures. Our conversations reaffirmed the importance of transborder coalitions and global solidarity across the Global Majority. We are not just transforming food systems. We are transforming power structures.
““Attending this summit feels like just the beginning. Our intention was to connect with leaders from across the African continent, and now that those relationships are forming, it feels monumentally aligned. As if we are not just meeting each other, but remembering each other. We’re laying the foundation for transformative collaborations rooted in shared heritage, resilience, and vision. And when it comes to plant-centered food systems, this experience was a powerful reminder: these ideas haven’t just taken root, they’ve always been there. What’s happening now is that the roots are deepening, intertwining across borders, cultures, and generations.”
- Darleen Martinez,
Curriculum Specialist & LATAM Community Relations
Plant-Powered Inspiration:
From Nairobi to the Masai Mara
We visited Food 4 Education, a nonprofit feeding thousands of school children daily with fully plant-based meals. This is a powerful and scalable model that aligns health, equity, and sustainability. Touring their operations was one of the most hopeful moments of our trip. Nourishing children, keeping them in school, and doing so with vibrant, local, plant-based meals- this is what systemic change looks like.
And yes, the food at the conference itself was some of the best we’ve ever tasted. We savored African plant-based cuisine from across the continent, discovering flavors, spices, and stories that left a lasting impression.
Our days were filled with inspiring connections:
Moses, Founder and Director of Uganda’s Vegan Harmony, growing community-led food systems
Constantine, CEO of Eco Space Foundation in Uganda, advocating for grassroots vegan justice
Maximilia from Mozambique, whose veganic farm is transforming school lunches and farmer livelihoods
Ahmad, CEO Pakistan’s Charity Doings Foundation, advancing animal advocacy in South Asia
And dozens more changemakers from Ghana to Rwanda, Nigeria to South Africa, each offering a window into the future we are already building.
Connecting With the Next Generation
We hosted two vibrant Plant Futures meetups at the summit, where students from across Africa gathered to imagine what's possible for their campuses, communities, and careers. Their energy was contagious. Many expressed not only a desire to bring plant-centered education and professional pathways to their universities, but also a deep interest in building global connections, linking arms with peers in Latin America and beyond to share knowledge, exchange ideas, and co-create solutions rooted in justice and sustainability.
What stood out was the clarity of their vision. These students are not waiting for permission to lead, they are already organizing food justice collectives, designing community gardens, launching plant-centered entrepreneurship ventures, and envisioning academic programs that center indigenous wisdom, ecological stewardship, and health equity. Their questions were forward-thinking: How do we grow this movement together across borders? How do we make it culturally rooted and scalable? How can students be at the forefront of redesigning food systems?
These conversations affirmed our belief that the next wave of leadership is not only ready, it is already rising. And it is global, interconnected, and joyfully bold.
“It was a gift to learn from visionary leaders across the continent and to stand alongside such passionate, talented changemakers. In a world that often feels heavy, this movement, and the brilliance of the next generation, fills me with so much hope.”
- Samantha Derrick, Executive Director
Awe, Joy, and Grounding in Nature
The summit venue was just across from Nairobi National Park, where we watched giraffes and zebras roam as we ate lunch. It was an ever-present reminder of why we do this work.
After the summit, we journeyed to the Masai Mara, a sprawling, unfenced ecosystem where animals live and move on their own terms. There, we witnessed the great wildebeest migration and saw lions, elephants, giraffes, and zebras in their natural rhythms. In the Mara, animals are not managed or enclosed; they are sovereign beings, part of a vast and ancient system that thrives without human interference.
A local told us, “You don’t realize how small you are in the world until you go to the Mara.” She was right. The experience was humbling, spiritual, and grounding. To be in a place where nature simply is, unbothered by our presence, continuing its cycles without our permission, was a profound reminder of the sacred balance we’re all part of. It called us to reflect not just on our role as stewards of the planet, but on our responsibility to create a world where all beings can live freely, in harmony, and with dignity.
Music, Culture, and Connection
No Plant Futures trip is complete without a little dancing. Just as food nourishes the body, music nourishes the soul and in Nairobi, both came alive in ways that reminded us how deeply these forms of expression are intertwined. Like food, music is embodied. It lives in us. It pulses through the body with memory and meaning, rooted in movement, culture, and identity. Food and music are vessels of ancestry, both hold the power to bring people together, to reclaim joy, and to celebrate life.
Nairobi’s vibrant Afrobeat soundscapes were a vivid reminder that this movement is not only about systems change. It’s about vibrancy, energy, and collective joy. Music and dancing becomes an extension of the mission: a celebration of resilience, of community, of shared hope for a more just future.
Music, like food, reminds us of our bodies, our aliveness. And just like the plant-centered meals we shared across the continent, it connects us to something larger: to land, to history, and to each other. We are not just building new food systems; we are cultivating ecosystems of celebration, care, and belonging.
Signing Off from Tanzania
As we wrap up our African adventure, we’re writing to you from the sunny shores of Tanzania- ocean breeze, white sand, and fresh fruit juice in hand. We are decompressing, reflecting, and already dreaming up what’s next.
To all our friends across Africa: thank you for your warmth, your leadership, and your vision. To our global community: this is just the beginning. Let’s keep building, bridging, and boldly reimagining the food systems of tomorrow, together.
With gratitude,
Samantha & Darleen
