Abstract
The oppressive histories of slavery, sharecropping, and discriminatory lending practices contribute to a modern American agricultural landscape where black farmers are underrepresented. While African Americans once made up 14% of the United States’ farmer population, today they only make up 1.4%. Moreover, the American farmer population overall is aging, and currently only 6% of farmers are under the age of 35. Despite these trends indicating decline, a small population of young black farmers is emerging. This qualitative case study aims to explore the experiences of this previously unexamined group of farmers. Participants found autonomy and self-sufficiency in agriculture, and a particular form of empowerment derived from reclaiming land and actively choosing to engage in work their ancestors were forced to do without pay. Findings from the study have implications for agricultural educators, extension professionals, and policy-makers working to cultivate a more diverse and representative body of American farmers. See the press release for this article.
Highlights
African Americans have a complicated relationship with American agriculture
Guided by the tenets of black agrarianism, this study aims to investigate the attitudes and motivations of young black farmers and give them an opportunity to share their stories
By proposing themes that serve as a framework for understanding the lives of young black farmers, this exploratory case study serves as the basis for future research into this understudied population
Summary
African Americans have a complicated relationship with American agriculture. For centuries, enslaved African Americans were forced to work the fertile southern soils of the country, often in grueling conditions, for no pay and no promise of even the most basic human rights. Even as the slave-like sharecropping system exploited the labor of African Americans, the number of black-operated farms continued to grow at a staggering rate, with 23% growth between 1900 and 1920 compared to 10.6% for white farmers (Wood & Gilbert, 2000). According to the 1920 U.S Census, there were approximately 926,000 black farmers that year. The number of black farmers began to decline severely. A little over 33,000 black principal operators remain, or 1.4% of the total U.S farmer population.
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