Thinking Through Environmental Justice and Food Sovereignty on These Lands
Land | Food | Climate | Relations
Sarah Rotz is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change at York University who studies how land, food, and farming systems are shaped by economic, political, and historical forces. Her research looks at agricultural industrialization and the growing concentration of corporate and financial power in farming, and how policy decisions reinforce colonial, capitalist, and gendered inequalities. Working closely with community groups, Indigenous and farmer movements, and policy advocates, she documents harms and helps develop practical alternatives that center local control, ecological health, and more equitable participation. Her methods include interviews, policy analysis, and participatory research. Her goals are to inform policy, strengthen community organizing, and support transitions to more equitable and ecologically healthy land and food systems.
Writing that traces the politics of land and food, examining how structures of inequity, patriarchy, and colonialism continue to shape social and environmental life and relations.
Work that connects critical analysis with collaborative, justice-oriented research and action.
Teaching and supervision grounded in values of mutual respect, reflexivity, and collaboration.
Facilitation of experiential and creative learning spaces that advance critical inquiry, ethical engagement, and develop research skills students carry into community‑engaged and scholarly work.
