The High Cost of Water: African American Farmers and the Politics of Irrigation in the Rural South, 1980-2000

Abstract

Only in the last two decades have African American and southern farmers had to think about drought and irrigation needs in a significant way. Since 1980 farmers in the South have been slowly adopting schemes to address the economic stress of drought and a lack of irrigation systems. For many pro? ducers, especially African Americans, insufficient water for irrigation has re? sulted in low yields, low profits, long-term debt, and a need for resources to reverse these trends.