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A Brief History of Discrimination against Black Farmers—Including by the USDA

The Equation

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has acknowledged its extensive history of discrimination directed at Black farmers and other marginalized groups. Such promises included “ 40 acres and a mule ,” the first unsuccessful systematic attempt at providing reparations.

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The Future of Resilient Agricultural Communities in California Is Alive in Allensworth

The Equation

Over the next 15 years, California will have to repurpose about 1 million acres of cropland, most of it out of the 5.5 million irrigated acres in the San Joaquin Valley. At the time, he was the highest Black officer in the US Armed Forces, and California’s San Joaquin Valley was portrayed as an Eden for agriculture.

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Meet the Arkansas Farmers Turning Sweet Potatoes into Spirits

Modern Farmer

Prime farmland, it attracted countless farmers, including the Black farmers seeking to fulfill the promise of “40 acres and a mule” that followed the American Civil War. It’s still run by the family today, now growing 100 acres of mostly sweet potatoes, the warm-climate vegetable that is an important staple in African American foodways.

Acre 95
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Healing From the Past to Grow for the Future

Wisconsin Farmers Union

Full Circle Healing Farm is a two acre vegetable, herb, and flower farm in Mequon. The farm is located on the Fondy Farm at the Mequon Nature Preserve , a 40 acre incubator farm that has the mission of providing affordable, long-term leases to historically underserved producers. He often thinks deeply about their experiences.

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Our Best Food Justice Stories of 2023

Civil Eats

Photo credit: Jared Davis This Fund Is Investing $20 Million to Help Black Farmers Thrive Farmer-activists Karen Washington and Olivia Watkins created the Black Farmer Fund to boost Black farmers, agricultural businesses, and food entrepreneurs in the Northeast with tools, training, and cash. Now It’s Facing Eviction.

Food 89
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Urban Farms are a Lifeline for Food-Insecure Residents. Will New Jersey Finally Make Them Permanent?

Modern Farmer

We need the state of New Jersey to take urban [agriculture] seriously,” said Mustafa. Because she doesn’t have at least five acres, her application to join the federal Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program – which would have enabled her to accept food vouchers from low-income seniors – was denied four times.

Food 97
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California Will Help BIPOC Collective Cultivate Land Access for Underserved Farmers

Civil Eats

Just a few miles from California’s state capital, owner Nelson Hawkins has turned an abandoned half-acre lot into a hub of food production for the community. ” After persistent advocacy efforts by agriculture groups, the California legislature allotted a $1.25 growers and owned more than 16 million acres of land.