5 BIPOC farmers who are growing the organic movement
BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) farmers have been contributing to the production of America's food for hundreds of years. But their hard work and demonstrable depth of knowledge have remained mainly without support.
Racism, sexism, and other forms of identity-based injustices are still prevalent in modern agriculture. The number of farmers who are BIPOC has been gradually dwindling due to the well-established loop of social inequalities. Institutional racism in agriculture, deprivation of government assistance, and laws that infringed on the underprivileged have all existed for hundreds of years. What was about 14% of Black or mixed-race farmers around 100 years ago today stands at only 1.4 % of total farm sales in the United States.
The lack of equal access (as their white counterparts) to federal relief leaves black farmers with several challenges. But of course, there are myriad factors that further hinder equal standing. Lack of business connections, insufficient financial support, and other inequalities hinder African-American farmers from scaling their farms— eventually resulting in no revenue increase. Inconsistent revenues add to the difficulty of qualifying for financial aid, further widening the competition gap. Racial discrimination has long crippled African-American farmsteads, adding to the downfall of Black-owned farms in the united states.
Yet even with all the challenges, many formidable individuals are fighting for the cause— taking solid initiatives to preserve BIPOC traditional values and farming practices while empowering the farmers with a more substantial agriculture system like organic farming.
While culture transformation in the farming industry is not an overnight mission, farmers like Karen Washington and Karissa Lewis reckon to reinvent the old structures and be catalysts for a more inclusionary agriculture economy.
Here are five amazing humans fighting to make a difference—
Frances Perez-Rodriguez
"We have a right to decide where our food comes from, and what food we have access to."
Frances Perez-Rodriguez is a Puerto Rican who was raised in New York City. She is a Farm School NYC graduate who is on a mission to uplift the oppressed, indigenous minorities around the world. Rodriguez is also the current farm manager of La Finca Del Sur Community Farm in the South Bronx, Food & Land Education Coordinator for Woke Foods. Committed to sharing the history and keeping traditions alive, she farms and gardens (along with other community activities) with Mexican and Caribbean populations in the South Bronx. Frances believes that bonding with nature and fostering a sense of community by having each other's back will liberate the lands and break the chains of racial injustices.
Karen Washington
Karen Washington is a well-known Bronx-based activist and farmer who co-founded Black Urban Growers (BUGS) to fight for food justice. She coined the term "food apartheid," and has been named "urban farming's de facto godmother." Washington believes that a political realignment is necessary to rid financial social inequalities and institutional discrimination from the national food system.
If you want small farmers to get access to money from the USDA or the state, you have to make the process more simple. The current system is set up for us to fail and be disenfranchised.
Witnessing patients, mostly people of color, suffer from diabetes, obesity, and hypertension during her previous profession as a physical therapist further adds to her passion for restructuring the food system. Ebony magazine voted Washington in the 100 most influential African Americans in the United States in 2012. And in 2014, she received a James Beard Foundation Leadership Award.
Karen Washington has been taking up the cause for over 30 years, and in 2020 raised $1m through Black Farmer Fund without federal assistance to empower Black farmers and businesses in the food industry.
Leah Penniman
Leah Penniman, with her husband Jonah Vitale-Wolff, founded the Soul Fire Farm — a BIPOC-centered community farm in Grafton, New York. The platform is committed to fighting racial discrimination in the food system and educating the next generation of activist farmers around the world. Soul Fire Farm trains people of color in Afro-Indigenous regenerative farming technologies— sustainable and organic agriculture. At the heart of Penniman's dedication is connecting the science and spiritual aspects of farming. She is also the author of the book 'Farming While Black,' which examines the challenges faced by people of color. Penniman's mission to overcome discrimination and demonstrate a resourceful journey forward is profoundly powerful, significantly impacting the potential for BIPOC farmers.
Melony Edwards
Melony Edwards is a first-generation farmer from a family of farmers. She is a food grower and producer who started her journey on a 20-acre farm and is now serving as a role model for others through her seed-saving and fiber arts business.
Who were the true farmers that created the great Southern agricultural tradition? It was my people. Now we simply need to do it on our terms, with our own lands.
Edwards believes that our food system lacks the narratives of farmers who are truly passionate about getting their hands dirty with soil. She is committed to breaking barriers by educating the Black American community about the importance of wholesome, organic food, and also eliminating the age-old Black American's concept that agriculture work is disempowering. Edwards stands to restore Black American glory in farming, reviving the rich heritage of agricultural production and cuisine culture.
Karissa Lewis
Karissa Lewis is the co-founder of an urban farm in East Oakland, Full Harvest Farm — a cooperative farm growing fruits, vegetables, and cannabis. She is a Black Radical Farmer and Activist from Oakland California fighting for social justice by empowering the next generation of Black and Brown organizers. She also works with People's Grocery, food justice, and service organization to promote healthy, organic food. Karissa believes that the fight against social inequalities requires leadership from colored- communities— the most affected. Currently, Karissa Lewis is the Executive Director of the Center for Third World Organizing, and also a member of the BlackOut Collective and the Bay Area Black Lives Matter chapter.
Fall in love with the collective visioning and the freedom of dreaming. There is a new world waiting for us. We must be the doulas, the birthers, the caregivers, the protectors, the conjurers, and the guides. Our lives depend on it. And so does this land.