Kendrick Ransome started out farming a few years ago with just a hoe, a rake, and a shovel. bit.ly/2pKn64J
He could have used support getting his hog and vegetable business off the ground, but he was wary of asking institutions for help. “My big brother told me, ‘Stay away from loans,’” said Ransome. bit.ly/2pKn64J
In 1925, most farmers in his rural hometown of Edgecombe County, North Carolina, were black. But now, the 26-year-old is an anomaly. bit.ly/2pKn64J
“When they did take out loans and they were unable to pay them back, you lose everything you got — that’s including your farm and your land for your family.” bit.ly/2pKn64J
Ransome’s fear of institutions is based in the centuries of discrimination black farmers have faced across the country. But despite that history, he and other young black Americans are reclaiming the trade. bit.ly/2pKn64J
The forces pushing black farmers off their land in the 20th century were manifold, and the impact was devastating. In 1920, there were more than 925,000 black farmers; by 2017, there were fewer than 46,000, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. bit.ly/2pKn64J
Many were driven out by violence and coercion. And a lack of legal resources meant land was sometimes passed down without a will, resulting in heirs’ property, a form of ownership split among descendants. bit.ly/2pKn64J
Farms without clear titles have historically been ineligible for certain USDA programs. bit.ly/2pKn64J
A 1999 class action against the USDA also proved what black farmers had long known: The agency had unjustly denied them loans and assistance, or delayed loan approvals. bit.ly/2pKn64J
“The type of support programs that were designed for small rural farmers just weren't available to black folks historically,” says Bakari McClendon, executive director of a Southeastern network for black sustainable farmers called SAAFON. bit.ly/2pKn64J
All this — especially combined with the rise of large-scale agriculture and mechanization in the early 1900s — was fatal for many businesses. But in recent years, the narrative around black farmers has shifted from one of extinction to a comeback. bit.ly/2pKn64J
USDA data on a recent uptick in black farmers has been disputed, but some farming collectives say they’ve noticed a growing interest in farming. bit.ly/2pKn64J
“What we're seeing now is that the children and grandchildren of those who migrated north and Midwest during that time are migrating back South,” said McClendon, who’s also a farmer in north Florida. bit.ly/2pKn64J
“They're looking for ways to live out their values. And returning to the land is one dramatic way that they can do that.” bit.ly/2pKn64J
