article thumbnail

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. The failure of this act likely played a role in paving the way for sharecropping and tenant farming. Many experienced tremendous economic loss and lost their land as a result.

article thumbnail

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 137
Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Trending Sources

article thumbnail

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. Department of Agriculture approved her application in 2023. To do so, the state must confront its complicated history of farming and pair it with long-term municipal investments – steps that some argue New Jersey has yet to take. “We

Food 125
article thumbnail

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. The failure of this act likely played a role in paving the way for sharecropping and tenant farming. Many experienced tremendous economic loss and lost their land as a result.

article thumbnail

Meet the Arkansas Farmers Turning Sweet Potatoes into Spirits

Modern Farmer

After the Civil War, the sharecropping period often involved predatory practices, including low wages and unsafe conditions. Not only was the family able to diversify its agricultural offerings, but it has also continued the legacy started by Joe Williams to be passed onto the next generation. “It

Acre 98
article thumbnail

Healing From the Past to Grow for the Future

Wisconsin Farmers Union

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) considers historically underserved groups to be those that have been excluded from or have been subject to discrimination in Federal policies and programs. A stark contrast from the labor forced upon his ancestors through slavery and sharecropping. But it's not just Black folks.

article thumbnail

Q&A: A New Book Tells the Story of Food, From the Civil Rights Movement to Now

Daily Yonder

As I was reading the book, I was trying to think about ways to connect it to my own work around food security and agriculture. The other side of the story is that I come from a long history of Black farmers, Black sharecroppers, Black people who worked in agriculture and on the land. So agriculture has always been a part of my life.

Food 81