By Marcus Washington
The history of Black agriculture dates to the start of the history of what is now the United States. Blacks have been farmers under slavery since 1619 and were slaves up until 1865. This enslavement and lack of education held African Americans to a restricted job market when they were given autonomy from slavery. African Americans have always been involved in agriculture via slavery, but even after slavery they showed an interest in agriculture.
Many African Americans in the south who were enslaved went back to the farm and worked as sharecroppers. Sharecroppers were de facto slaves, as they were cheated out of the money they worked for, making as low as 10 cents a week in certain cases. In addition, Jim Crow laws made it hard for African Americans to vote, gain an education, or build wealth. African American men and women were constantly denied loans and preyed upon with interest rates for the loans they received. As a result, the tie African Americans had with agriculture was severed because Black farmers could not meet the growing demand for food.
The cultural connection which Black Americans hold with agriculture is known as Black Agrarianism. Agrarianism is more than just agriculture, it is a sort of hierarchy and serves as the basis of the cultural connection between farmers and agriculture; however, Blacks are excluded from this hierarchy based on their skin color. So Black Agrarianism was created to specifically describe the connections African Americans have formed to agriculture. This connection has helped shape aspects of African American culture such as kinships, folk music, and even going to church on Sundays. Black Agrarianism can best be described as the ways African Americans coped and adapted to slavery. Thus, creating tons of African American traditions we still see today.
Thomas Jefferson, a rich plantation owner, is one of the most notable products of White Supremacist Agrarianism (WSA). In WSA, Blacks are not seen as equal to whites and were property. WSA is taking the pride in property and income, rather than people. This type of agrarianism gives no respect to the workers and only seeks to reap the monetary benefits of farming. Slavery is the biggest example of this, but we still see this type of agrarianism today with things such as Black farmers being sold fake seeds, or monsanto knowingly exposing people to harmful chemicals just so they can make a profit. In short, WSA is selfish, and Black agrarianism is selfless.
Since the Civil Rights Act of 1965, Black Americans have experienced a decline in farm operators. The USDA had denied Black Americans programs that have been shown to raise the IQ of farmers and teach farm safety over the course of the 1900s. This practice is just now being reversed. As a result, Black Americans are more likely to get injured on the farm, as they are not taught the proper techniques from their other Black peers. Black farmers are more likely to earn less, do not receive adequate loans, and could not meet production demands; thus, there is not a strong African American connection to agriculture anymore. As a result of the challenges facing African American farm operators, land ownership has decreased greatly.
Blacks cannot meet production demands that other races can because of racial discrimination by their counterparts and by the government. The government does not offer substantial loans to Black Americans; and if they do, they do not amount to what white farmers receive. Blacks have smaller loans, and smaller farms, thus, relying on family agriculture, which does not meet the demands of the growing agriculture market. There is a scarcity of resources to support the idea of ‘Black Agrarianism’ even though the idea of ‘agrarianism’ is widely known in agricultural academia.
African Americans have always had a passion for agriculture, even though agriculture may not have reflected that same passion for them. Agriculture is a perfect market for Black folks to get back into. Today, the USDA is reversing the discrimination against persons based on race; thus, allowing for better opportunities for Black Americans in the agriculture market. Moreover, for African Americans to make life quality better, they need to have collective ownership of their own businesses, and agriculture is a great start!
The topic of Black Agrarianism is often hidden from the history books. One of the more recent studies done by Dr. Edward Pennick of the University of Indiana explains the struggle for the control system within agriculture and how it has affected African Americans. Although the article itself is not a journal promoting or denying Black Agrarianism, this journal highlights the pitfalls of Black Agrarianism. This is one of the few resources that even addresses diversity within the agricultural market of America.
About 96% of American farmers are white, thus most studies are devoted to those farmers. However, that does not make Blacks any less important. Their stories and connections to family-owned businesses are crucial to explaining African American history—yet they are often neglected by academics in most land-grant universities. The topic of African Americans in agriculture—as well as the topic of diversity within agriculture, is under-researched and often poked with a stick. Many academics prefer not to deal with it, and the industry is helping with the demise of the Black farmer. The neglect of not only the Black farmer but Black history, highlights the issues Americans still have with race today.
Black farming can solve many problems within the Black community. Many lower-income areas within the Black community are known as ‘food deserts’ or areas with foods that are lacking nutrients. This contributes to health conditions such as hypertension, heart disease, and type two diabetes. The majority of African American causes of death are preventable conditions. These conditions can be resolved with healthier eating and wellness. However, the Black Community does not have access to adequate food supplies.
If African Americans owned their own farms on a national level, the amount of food deserts would decrease. African American farms would export their products to African American grocery stores within the community. This in turn would allow for healthier living for African Americans—at a lower cost than buying from some of the bigger chains such as Walmart or Target.
The struggles that once plagued the Black community regarding agriculture can be overcome. The Black community is starting to use their dollar wisely and should look at re-entering the field of agriculture—this time by choice and not by force. Black agriculture has empowered African Americans to have collective ownership over their own businesses. To keep the tradition of African American empowerment through agriculture, younger African Americans are going to have to contribute and attempt to restore the condition of Black Agrarianism.
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