Usha is at heart a nature advocate, community facilitator, forager, and mother. She has spent the last 10 years working in nature conservation, sustainable food systems and environmental education. Based in her hometown, Oxford, she is a Senior Adviser for Natural England evaluating the success of nature-friendly farming practices and advising the Government on Agri-Environment Schemes.

Her background is in community engagement with a passion for environmental and social justice issues. In the past she has worked as a Project Manager in Naples, Italy for a cooperative collaborating with schools and after schools, community and refugee centres, NGOs, and nature reserves. She also worked for a community-run, not-for-profit vegbox scheme in London making sustainably sourced food accessible and affordable. In her voluntary roles she has been a farmer, seed saver, and herbalist at a permaculture education centre, supported community garden projects, and run children’s environmental education sessions for eNGOs.

Usha’s quest is to bring us humans into more harmony with nature through reawakening our inner sense of wilderness. To this end, her passion lies in enabling access to and engagement with wild spaces for people of all backgrounds and generations to inspire them to reconnect to their wild roots again and treat nature as their home.