The multiple crises of the Anthropocene require deep transformations to achieve more sustainable, and equitable, social-ecological futures. Consequently, there is growing interest in marginal, experimental, or bottom-up initiatives that may provide alternative ideas and practices that challenge existing structures and contribute toward creating transformative change. Here, we explore how innovative sustainability-oriented initiatives, so-called “seeds,” promote three dimensions of equity: procedural, recognitional, and distributional. We identified 24 initiatives that seek to transform food systems in South Africa, Ghana, Malawi, Zambia, Benin, and Kenya, and used qualitative coding to summarize the range of activities these initiatives are undertaking, how these interact with dimensions of equity, and what barriers they face to achieve combined equity and sustainability goals. We found that seeds contribute primarily to distributional equity, although four seeds contributed to all three dimensions. Procedural equity was the least often achieved, and land ownership, legal recognition, and inclusion in decision making were areas where seeds struggled to make an impact. We found that the seed initiatives we analyzed contribute tangible benefits to beneficiaries, primarily through skills development and income security, but also through transformative outcomes such as increasing self-sufficiency of vulnerable groups and increased economic opportunities. However, seeds face various barriers to their success, primarily regarding funding and community dynamics. Collaboration and creating networks for learning among coalitions of actors emerged as a powerful way to both overcome barriers, and also for the emergence of new transformative initiatives. These insights can provide more focused support for initiatives that can contribute to achieving more equitable and sustainable futures.