Empowering African-American Farmers: Addressing Mississippi's “Black Agrarianism” Sustainability Challenges through Voice and Representation

Commodities

Practices

Many Black farming communities reside in Mississippi; however,
they only represent 12.04% of the farming population compared to
86.76% of White farmers in Mississippi (USDA Census of
Agriculture, 2022). Social equity plays a profound role in
ensuring sustainable agriculture. The progressive disregard of
Mississippian Black farmers' voices and representation is a
growing concern, projecting prominent racial inequity and
threatening farming sustainability. In response to this issue,
there is a need to involve collective insights from the Black
farming community, Extension professionals representing
Mississippi State University (1862), Alcorn State University
(1890), and key informants in agricultural organizations to
identify strategic initiatives for addressing the low
representation issues of Mississippian Black farmers. Using an
exploratory qualitative approach, this project aims to: 1)
investigate the embedded challenges that hinder Black farmers
from contributing to farming, and 2) explore current strategies
used by two Land-grant universities in the state and local
agriculture organizations in empowering Mississippian Black
farming communities (e.g., Mississippi State University Extension
Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment
Station). The collective insights from the above objectives will
have the following implications: (1) share recommendations for
administrators to be incorporated into strategic year plans, (2)
develop in-service extension training focused on fostering
diversity, equity, and inclusion practices for empowering the
Black farming community, to be delivered to Extension
professionals working with farmers in Agriculture and Natural
Resources, community development, and 4-H divisions in
Mississippi, and (3) share lessons learned so that they could be
applied in other southern region states.

1. To investigate the embedded challenges that hinder Black
   farmers from contributing to farming.
2. To explore the current strategies used by two Land-grant
   universities and local agriculture organizations in empowering
   Mississippi's Black farming communities in farming (e.g.,
   Mississippi State University Extension Service and Mississippi
   Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station).
3. To share lessons learned that will be incorporated into the
   Mississippi State’s strategic yearly plans, informing the
   development of extension training focused on fostering diversity,
   equity, and inclusion practices to empower the Black farming
   community.