Social and Economic Conditions of Black Farm Households: Status and Prospects

A case study analysis of the implementation process of the Small Farmers Outreach Training and Technical Assistance (2501) Program, 1994-2001: implications for agricultural extension education targeting African American farmers

“…In addition to their declining numbers, a large percentage of the problems encountered by African American farmers can be attributed to the establishment of a political, economic, and legal system in the United States that promoted unequal opportunities in education and restricted opportunities for economic advancement for the African American population (Beauford & Nelson, 1988;Brown et al, 1994;Sigler & Smith, 1998). Sigler and Smith suggested that in order "for a minority group to flourish in a competitive society, the group needs two forms of support: the means to participate in a culture's economic system, called human capital, and a set of laws to make the participation possible, called bootstraps" (p. 105).…”

“…American farmers concluded that most African American farmers were: (a) older, with lower educational levels than the national average for all farmers, (b) located in the southeastern portion of the United States and concentrated in areas that traditionally were economically depressed with few opportunities for economic growth, and (c) typically classified as small and limited-resource farmers (Beauford & Nelson, 1988;Dismukes et al, 1997;Jones, 1994;Koenig & Dodson, 1999;McLean-Meyinsse & Brown, Jr., 1994;Schor, 1996). A discussion of their characteristics is provided in the following sections.…”

“…One of the major reasons why the majority of African American farmers were older was the fact that thousands of Black farmers left agriculture and the youth did not enter the field to replace the older farmers. Beauford and Nelson, (1988) and Dismukes et al, (1997) completed studies regarding the absence of young Blacks in agriculture. Beauford and Nelson (1988) referred to the absence of young Black farmers as one of the "major threats to Black agriculture" and "without a significant infusion of young Blacks into production agriculture, the population of Black farmers will continue to decrease and possibly diminish as a result of the normal process of attrition" (p.…”

“…Several explanations were provided regarding the status of the economic plight of African American farmers residing in the South. In their study of the social and economic conditions of Black farm households, Beauford and Nelson (1988) attributed the lower economic well-being of Black farmers to: (a) characteristics of Black farmers, (b) the structure of their farms, and (c) historical patterns of racism and discrimination rooted in slavery and the plantation system. In a more recent article, John Cromartie's study (as cited in Calhoun et al, 2000) suggested that the problems experienced in the Black Belt region are possibly the result of difficult adjustment from the "slave-based agrarian Southern economy to today's diverse and highly competitive global economy" (p. 20).…”

“…Some would argue that the development of nonformal and informal educational programs for African American farmers resembled that for farmers of other ethnicities. Leading researchers working with African Americans contradicted this argument and suggested that African Americans in this case, African American farmers, have special needs that are the result of the social, political, economic, and historical conditions that they faced (Beauford & Nelson, 1988;Crowe, Bryne, & Hale, 2001 ;Malach, 2000;McCray, 1994). The literature typically referred to this process as "incorporating the sociocultural context into program planning" (Axxin & Axxin,1997;Boone, 1985;Guy, 1999;Merriam & Caffarella, 1999;Seevers et al, 1997).…”