Did you know that Black History Month has its origins in agriculture? The commemoration began as Negro History Week, established in 1926 by a sharecropper born to formerly enslaved parents who went on to earn a PhD from Harvard University and serve as dean of its College of Arts and Sciences. I encourage you to read more about Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson’s remarkable life and his efforts to encourage Black Americans to learn about their heritage.
But even as we celebrate the successes and resilience of Black Americans throughout US history, there are new attacks on this progress coming daily. The Trump administration’s opposition to diversity, equity, and inclusion threatens to limit opportunities for Black and other underserved farmers and ranchers, and stall the progress made by the US Department of Agriculture’s Equity Commission, which recently acknowledged the need to “Institutionalize equity within the Department.”
Historical struggles of Black and other underserved farmers
Black farmers have long struggled against discrimination and exclusionary policies, resulting in massive land loss and decimating the number of Black farmers in the United States. Over the years, diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives have played a significant role in helping Black farmers access resources, sustain their farms, and work towards economic security.
Recognizing past harms, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) in recent years implemented diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives to promote fair access to resources and to ensure that not only Black farmers but also other underserved farmers including small and mid-size producers who have had limited access to opportunities get a fair shot at being successful producers. These efforts included targeted grants and programs, outreach initiatives, and policy adjustments designed to level the playing field. Such programs aimed to ensure that minority farmers received the financial assistance and technical support for land management and conservation practices, risk management, help finding local markets, and other educational resources they needed.
Even with these targeted programs in place there are still disparities in the distribution of government aid across racial groups and farm sizes. White farmers received an average of $3,398 in government assistance for the pandemic bailout—eight times more than the average $422 Black farmers received. The gap between White and Black farmers was even wider for the Market Facilitation Program, created during the first Trump administration to offset the loss of the Chinese export market because of tariffs, with White farmers reportedly receiving 99.5 percent of the $8.5 billion in support, while the remaining 0.5 percent went to their non-White counterparts. Moreover, large and wealthy farms receive the majority of USDA subsidies, while small farms—which account for more than 80 percent of all subsidy beneficiaries—receive less than 10 percent of the subsidies.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion at the USDA
Focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion in USDA programs does not give one group advantages over another; it helps open doors to a broader range of farmers who typically do not benefit from government payments. It helps give everyone, regardless of background, a fair shot at success in the challenging business of farming. The recent pullback of USDA diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts raises concerns about who can succeed in farming, and whether that extends to Black, Asian or Pacific Islander, Hispanic or Latino, and Native American farmers, or to veterans, women, and beginning farmers. Socially disadvantaged producers are defined by the USDA as those belonging to groups that have been subject to racial or ethnic prejudice. This group includes White women, for some but not all USDA programs.
The farm bill has contained provisions since the 1990s aimed at supporting socially disadvantaged and limited-resource farmers and ranchers through a variety of programs. The provisions supporting socially disadvantaged farmers in the farm bills of the 1990s, particularly the 1990 Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act (FACTA) and the 1996 Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform (FAIR) Act, were included primarily to remedy historical discrimination, civil rights advocacy, and the need to ensure equitable access to USDA programs.
According to the USDA’s 2022 Census of Agriculture, only 1.2 percent of US farmers are Black or African American, and they operate 1.5 percent of the farms, while the market share of their agricultural products sold is 0.4 percent. Almost two-thirds of Black farmers specialize in cattle production and they operate the lowest share of commercial farms, with 62 percent owning small family farms. Because beef cattle and other livestock farms are not commonly covered by direct government agricultural programs, Black farmers are less likely to benefit from government payments compared to non-Hispanic White operators. Moreover, most family farms—including nearly three in four Black farmers—are showing signs of serious financial trouble, with their farms’ profit margins critically low.
This pattern is also observed among other socially disadvantaged farmers, who face similar challenges in accessing resources that help them achieve commercial success. For many of these farmers, financial security depends on federal guaranteed loans and grants that open the door to future growth. The government plays a pivotal role here in ensuring the strength of our food system; without its support, many socially disadvantaged and small farmers would struggle to obtain funding elsewhere and our farm ecosystem would suffer.
Farmers are not a monolith but rather a diverse population with varying needs, experiences, and challenges. US agriculture includes individuals from different racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and educational backgrounds: veterans, young people, people who are new to this country, people who were here before the United States was even an idea, people for whom farming is a second career, and people for whom farming is the continuation of an intergenerational legacy. This diversity necessitates tailored approaches to ensure everyone has access to the resources, opportunities, and support systems they need to have a fair shot and to thrive.
As the producer population ages, and the weather becomes more extreme, rural communities shrink and big farms get bigger. Small farms, which make up a majority of US farms, face significant difficulties that are often unique and require specific interventions.
We need to preserve targeted programs for underserved farmers
Black farmers in the United States play a crucial role in food security and food sovereignty through their contributions to regenerative agriculture, local-food systems, and community resilience. They often focus on local-food production, which helps reduce food deserts and ensures that communities have access to fresh, nutritious food while promoting sustainable farming practices and food justice.
It is important that targeted programs such as the 2501 Program exist to ensure that small, underserved, and veteran farmers who play a critical role in the food system have support tailored to their circumstances so they can contribute to and benefit from a thriving agricultural economy by accessing land, loans, conservation programs, and market opportunities. The 2501 Program has provided more than $221 million since 2010, funding more than 657 projects that connect underserved farmers and ranchers to USDA resources and services, as well as conferences, workshops, and demonstrations of different farming methods.
In addition, through its Minority and Women Farmers and Ranchers initiatives, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) opens the door to much needed credit by targeting a variety of loans at underserved farmers who would otherwise struggle to obtain them elsewhere. By the conclusion of fiscal year 2023, the FSA had a portfolio of $1.1 billion in direct loans, loan guarantees, and direct farm ownership for about 6,000 socially disadvantaged borrowers.
Despite all these funds and support, socially disadvantaged farmers still face barriers to participating in federal programs. The Trump administration’s recent termination of $110 million in diversity, equity, and inclusion contracts at the USDA poses a significant threat to the financial security and productivity of farmers who rely on these targeted programs for technical support and financial assistance.
Recognizing the diverse needs and challenges of farmers from different backgrounds, tailored approaches must be implemented to provide equitable access to resources and opportunities. By continuing to support programs like the 2501 Program and the Minority and Women Farmers and Ranchers initiatives (among others), we can help create a shared vision for the country in which all farmers, regardless of background, have a fair shot at success.