"Not a new pattern": Black farmers' perspectives on barriers to participating in federal farm programs

Russell, Kelli; Hossfeld, Leslie; Méndez, Gina Rico

doi:10.5304/jafscd.2021.104.007

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Our BIPOC participants described stress from the legacies of white supremacy, which impacts their access to land, capital, and social networks. These experiences echo those of U.S. BIPOC farmers who encountered racial bias and discrimination when trying to participate in federal farm programs (Russell et al, 2021). Our study supplements research that suggests that women, LGBTQ+, and BIPOC farmers are not as supported by Cooperative Extension (Barbercheck et al, 2009) or government agencies (Ackoff et al, 2022; as cisgender white men.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 73%

Untitled

2023

J. Agric. Food Syst. Community Dev.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 73%

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2023

J. Agric. Food Syst. Community Dev.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 72%

"The farm has an insatiable appetite": A food justice approach to understanding beginning farmer stress

Doherty,

Tayse,

Kaiser

et al. 2023

J. Agric. Food Syst. Community Dev.

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Beginning farmers are critical in shaping resilient food systems amid a worsening climate crisis. Reports indicate a prevalence of stress and adverse mental health outcomes among U.S. farmers, yet there are gaps in the literature concerning the well-being of beginning farmers, a heterogeneous group with a growing number of women and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, or People of Color) producers. The agricultural industry has a legacy of systemic oppression and exploitation of marginal communities. Thus, it is important to understand the unique needs of an emerging, more diverse generation of farmers, especially as discrimination is associated with stress and poor mental health outcomes. In this community-engaged, mixed methods research project, we utilize a food justice framework to understand systemic stressors and coping strategies among Midwestern beginning farmers. Beginning farmers in the Midwest were recruited using purposive sampling to participate in quantitative surveys and in-depth interviews. The survey (n=62) included measures of farm stress, mental health supports, and farm characteristics; the Patient Health Questionnaire-4; and sociodemographic information. Interviews (n=20) were conducted to establish a deeper understanding of stress and mental health experiences. Survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. Top stressors included having too much to do and too little time, COVID-19, not enough person-power on the farm, climate change, and social justice. Of survey respondents, 58% reported mild to severe symptom burden of anxiety or depression. Five qualitative themes emerged, including the stress of capitalism, discrimination and inequitable access to resources, aids and gaps in social support, rugged individualism, and heterogeneous perspectives on social justice and climate change. Four transformative food justice practices aimed at rectifying structural inequalities inform our implications. Our results emphasize the urgency of systemic change and structural support for beginning farmers.

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“…In other cases, land was stolen through outright fraud, like producing competing titles which deeded land to someone else. White farmers were given tax benefits, loans from banks, and other price supports from the government for their crops, which made them profitable, able to improve their land, and pay the requisite taxes [34]. These practices in the Reconstruction era in the South after the Civil War, along with outright patterns of intimidating Black farmers and the existence of a culture of violence against them, contributed to the significant loss of African American farmland in the United States [5,14].…”

Section: Heirs Propertymentioning

confidence: 99%

Land Fragmentation and Heirs Property: Current Issues and Policy Responses

Smith,

Cubbage

2024

Land

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Land fragmentation continues to be a challenge throughout the world, the United States, and particularly in the rapidly growing Southeast, as well as every state with a metropolitan area that abuts rural lands. With a United States population expected to grow to more than 500 million by 2060, it will present exceptional challenges for planners and policy makers to preserve important agricultural lands for farms and forests to provide both food and fiber, as well as to provide a host of ecosystem services and enhance the quality of life for our growing population. These issues of fragmentation are extremely substantial for African American, other minority, and limited-income landowners in the U.S. South, who often lack wills and have lands that are broken up into small parcels, or have divided ownership rights in one parcel, when passed on to heirs. Existing efforts can be expanded to provide tools and incentives for the owners of hiers property and other working lands to preserve them, and state and municipal planners will need to promote development plans and practices thoughtfully and strategically in order to prevent the projected loss of nearly 18 million acres of working lands by the year 2040.

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"Not a new pattern": Black farmers' perspectives on barriers to participating in federal farm programs

Cited by 6 publications

References 12 publications

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Untitled

"The farm has an insatiable appetite": A food justice approach to understanding beginning farmer stress

Land Fragmentation and Heirs Property: Current Issues and Policy Responses

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