Sharif Musaji

Sharif was introduced to Planting Justice through a volunteer day while he was an apprentice at Pie Ranch in Pescadero, CA. At that time, the nursery was just starting out, but he was really excited by this initial glimpse of the radical nature of PJ’s work. In some form or another, Sharif has been working in the worlds of education, youth empowerment, and food justice for 15 years, and is so excited to bring so many of his passions, skills, and interests together in one place. Whether working in a classroom, farm, or non-profit office, his primary goal has always been to cultivate humanizing spaces. That’s why he believes so strongly in the work of Planting Justice. Until society truly values every human being equally, there’s work to be done. We all gotta eat.

On that note, Sharif really loves the way growing food creates immediate connections between literally everything. He especially loves appreciating and caretaking soil. His favorite garden tool is a hori hori, and his favorite garden activity is winter pruning fruit trees. He does not recommend pruning with a hori hori. 

In his free time, he enjoys being a parent to his two tiny children, taking photographs, reading sci fi and horror, rying to learn the banjo, and rock climbing. Though let’s be real, he’s got two kids under 10, so it’s mostly about them right now. He hopes he can get them into all the things he is into, which in permaculture is called ‘stacking functions’.