Agriculture & Farming
Between the period of 1619 to 1865, black people contributed to the history of what is now called the United States by working as slave farmers. This gave a rise to “black agrarianism” which was somewhat a coping mechanism for slavery. It shaped black culture of kinship, folk music, and even going to church on Sundays. Since they lacked education, black people were also enslaved into the mainly agricultural job market. They had a negative start in the field of agriculture that contributed to their low enthusiasm in the industry.
Nevertheless, black people did not completely shy away from agriculture after the slavery era, they still went back to work as sharecroppers which was somewhat a whitewashed form of slavery. Black people were still being cheated out of their hard earned money and could receive as low as 10 cents a week. Furthermore, they were often denied loans and thanks to the Jim Crow laws they could not vote or get an education. Everything was working against them elevating themselves from the snares of poverty.
Years later there were still a number of steps that have been taken to oppress the black community in agriculture. They have reduced in the field of agriculture since the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1965. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has run programs to educate farmers on better skills and safety work measures while excluding black people making them more susceptible to work related injuries. Their performance in the agricultural field is significantly lower and so is their morale. This discriminative system also extends to matters of loans where black people will receive smaller loans than white people and as a result, fail to compete adequately in the fast growing agricultural industry.
There is a silver lining to black agrarianism with the USDA attempting to remedy the wrongs injustices that have been suffered by black people. The field is being leveled out and the environment more favorable. Black people have a deep passion for farming and for this reason they need to get back to it. It is high time black people elevate their financial status by owning joint ventures and agriculture is a good place to start.
Secondly, academic scholars have written about agrarianism while shying away from including black people’s contribution to the same and if any, it is often in a negative light. Essentially highlighting the weaknesses of black agrarianism. This is one of the many writings on the topic that even remotely highlight the presence of black people in agriculture. This narrative can still change with black people getting back into the field more motivated and stronger than ever to have an equal representation in scholarly writing and their great contributions positively documented as well.
Thirdly, black people getting back to farming would greatly reduce “food deserts”, a term given to areas within the black community where income is significantly low and food lacks enough nutrients. If Africans were to grow their own food this problem would easily be solved and they would be able to supply to other areas, even more affordable than buying from the popular Walmart and target while creating income as well. Health conditions such as hypertension, heart disease, and type two diabetes associated with these living conditions would be on the low not forgetting more affordable than buying from the popular Walmart and target.
The struggles highlighted at the beginning of this article can be a thing of the past. The injustices against black people in the agricultural industry have been mitigated and a good number of black people now have the knowledge and finances to get back into agriculture, this time in their own terms. luckily enough the culture of collective ownership that was birthed through slavery can now be used as an advantage to build wealth among black people.
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