I have cultivated in North Carolina for more than 40 years. Despite decades of hard work and strong support from other farmers and loyal customers, my business often makes a living on the neighboring farms while profitable.
Why is my experience different? I am a black farmer in an industry with a deep history of discrimination.
Over the years, I have talked with many white farmers who want to understand how our experience is different. Agriculture is a difficult industry for everyone, so why is it more difficult for me?
I explained to them that this has nothing to do with agriculture itself. There is no difference between cows, chickens and pigs. The situation is different for bankers that farmers must meet to borrow money or refinance loans.
When you start a farm, like any small business, you must take out these loans to buy land, equipment, and supplies. But black farmers like me have far fewer opportunities to obtain loans through farm service agencies than white farmers. My wife and I will go to the bank to request an appointment, and we will be told that the banker is not there and cannot see us. After a while, however, a white man would walk in and be led directly into their office.
recent, Congress Pledged to establish a new program in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide debt relief for farmers of color. This is a strong recognition of the need to correct historical mistakes against black farmers and other farmers of color.But the federal judge the state of Wisconsin with Florida An interim order has now been issued to prevent the USDA from advancing the plan.
When I heard about this legal challenge, I was not surprised. In my life, politicians have promised to support black farmers who have been wronged many times, just for the delayed efforts. But then I realized that for the first time we had Congress, the President, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Justice on our side. The highest-level leaders of the government made it clear that the debt relief for farmers of color is not only to repair past injuries, but to ensure that all our communities will be fed, healthy, and prosperous when we recover from the pandemic.
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Only a few radical extremists opposed this plan in court. Now is the time for us to stand up and oppose this few voices. Many of my friends are white farmers, and they hope that I have the same chance of success as them. They know that I am a hardworking person, an expert in cultivating the land, and keen to support my community with healthy food.
They also understand that when I can’t get an opportunity, it doesn’t actually mean they have more opportunities. In fact, it hurts them because families across the country rely on healthy and sustainable food from independent farms. When more farmers have a fair chance of success, we will all benefit.
In rural North Carolina, farmers of color have played a key role in addressing food insecurity. We work together to support each other, build affordable farmers’ markets, and provide fresh food to people in rural areas, where grocery stores may be dozens of miles away, and the only local options are fast food restaurants or dollar stores. It has a real impact on the health of our community; imagine what impact we might have if we all had equal access to opportunities.
I am proud to work with a multi-ethnic coalition of farmers and advocates to work to remove this legal obstacle, but we face a well-funded opposition and we cannot do it alone. The fight for food justice is not just this court case, we all have a responsibility to participate in this movement, whether it is joining a local advocacy group, or writing to our senators and representatives, urging them to support farmers color, or Commit to purchasing sustainable food from independent farms.
Supporting the USDA’s debt relief program is just a step in the right direction, and we have more progress.
But I have seen how much change has taken place in my 40 years of farming, and I believe the next 40 years will bring real progress. Together, we can build a just and healthy future for the next generation of farmers and families in our community.
Phillip Barker has been a farmer in Oxford, North Carolina for more than 40 years. He is a member of the National Black Food and Justice Alliance, a member of the HEAL Food Alliance steering committee, and co-founded Operation Spring Plant with his wife Dorathy Barker, a company dedicated to supporting people of color Farmers’ organizations.
The views in this article are those of the author.
