As we work towards building equitable and inclusive food systems, it is important to understand that our current systems and structures are built on hundreds of years of injustice, disenfranchisement and slavery. Agriculture within our current economic system is based on the colonial expansion of Europe into many territories
Profound change in our agricultural systems is vital to overcoming racism and inequality in our society. Those involved in every level of the food system must work to address these structural inequalities.
This page provides a starting point to the complex history of agriculture in North America and beyond. It is vital to go beyond this resource to understand the landscape of local and global history of inequity in the agricultural system.
Read "Regenerative Agriculture Needs a Reckoning" by Joe Fasser, The Counter
The significance of the contributions of people of color to agricultural knowledge is heavily undervalued. In The Counter article “Regenerative Agriculture needs a Reckoning”, Joe Fasser discusses how Black, Indigenous, and people of color are excluded from the food and agriculture space and how their contributions are ignored. This article emphasizes that we cannot have a conversation around sustainable and regenerative agriculture without these populations.
“Black and Indigenous farmers have been practicing this form of agriculture without any specific title or performative acknowledgement for generations. This is the way I learned to farm from my grandparents.” - Angela Dawson, founder, 40 Acres Cooperative
After reading Regenerative Agriculture needs a Reckoning, reflect on these questions
What is the local history of agriculture in the region your organization operates in? How may you want to adapt your strategies and actions based on the landscape?
Who is benefiting from the current systems in your organization and who is being harmed?
How can you start to address the inequalities discussed in this article? Who should you share this information with?
Why is acknowledgment important? How does the lack of acknowledgment contribute to oppression and continued inequity?
Acknowledging traditional knowledge is the first step. With active support, this can lead to diversified participation in the creation of new structures in agriculture, including the recognition of expertise and dismantling cultural appropriation.
Chapter Fourteen of Leah Penniman’s Farming While Black provides an annotated timeline of trauma that European enslavement and colonization inflicted on African people, including slavery, sharecropping, and theft of Black-owned land. The USDA's discriminatory policies have continued to deny farmers of color access to federal relief, credit, and land ownership. The EWG’s Timeline: Black farmers and the USDA, 1920 to present, outlines many of these injustices. If not already familiar with this history, take time to dive into these resources and others.
The Distribution of Black Farmers according to the 2017 Census of Agriculture
In this Field to Market Cross-Sector Dialogue, Dr. Marcus Bernard discusses the history of racism in U.S. agriculture. Since 1920, there has been a 98% decrease in US farms operated by Black farmers and this video explores some of the tactics used to marginalize Black farmers as well as what justice can look like.
After watching exploring these resources, reflect on these questions:
Dr. Bernard mentions that many USDA programs are not accessible to Black farmers as they are more likely to not have a farm number. Are there any barriers to access within your organization that may present a similar issue?
This could include language barriers, lack of internet access, prohibitive costs, lack of cultural representation, etc
What strategies can be supported in addressing this issue from your position or sector? How can organizations be allies to these issues?
After reading chapter fourteen of Farming while Black or the EWG timeline, what stood out to you? What impacts of these events do you see in your work today?
What is the history of Black farmers in your specific region? What bills, acts, or historical events have shaped this history? This may require additional research.
As we examine our food system, it is vital to acknowledge that the arrival of colonizers woefully impacted the Indigenous people in North America. This includes recognizing the violence, theft of land, and repression of traditions, including those related to food. These systems of oppression continue to this day.
Watch this documentary on the Oneida Nation which explores colonialism’s impact on culture, land, and food as well as the current food system and preserving traditional knowledge.
"We who are non-Native came to North America and displaced a functioning system of agriculture and food production that had been here for 10,000 years. And within a matter of 250 years to 300 years, we’ve destroyed the value of the land. But those Indigenous practices are based on thousands of years of science. There’s plenty of genetic studies that show the incredible knowledge that it took to breed corn—when folks begin to study Native principles, they realize that they’re grounded in modern science. Yet these studies are done with very little participation from Native scientists."
- Sanjay Rawal
Native-Land.ca gives you an idea of the established territories of the people living in the Americas before they were ‘discovered’.
Land acknowledgement serves as a starting point for further work, relationship building, and authentic action. Native Governance Center’s "A Guide to Indigenous Land Acknowledgment" and further resources explore tips for creating land acknowledgment statements and how to take action.
After exploring these resources, reflect on these questions:
How have you or your organization benefited from the injustices mentioned in the video?
What can you or your organization do to uplift and support Native American nations?
The Land Reparations & Indigenous Solidarity Toolkit can help guide you
What can you or your organization do to go beyond land acknowledgment based on the guide from the Native Governance Center?
Some of the tactics mentioned are...
How Racism Has Shaped the American Farming Landscape
Discusses the history of racism in agriculture in the U.S., as well as organizations succeeding in reshaping this issue and next steps
Intertribal Agricultural Council
Programs, learning resources, events, and membership opportunities
Land Reparations & Indigenous Solidarity Toolkit provides a list of resources, questions, best practices, case studies, and ideas for how to take action.
Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance’s Knowledge Center for additional publications including a guide for allies
Native American Agriculture | Regenerative Farming provides videos, interviews, and stories connecting ancient Navajo agricultural traditions and beliefs to modern-day farming
Decolonizing Regenerative Agriculture: An Indigenous Perspective - Bioneers provides an interview with A-dae Romero-Briones (Cochiti/Kiowa) is the Director of Programs: Agriculture and Food Systems for the First Nations Development Institute. She discusses indigenous food systems, colonization, and regenerative agriculture.
Indigenous Circle of Giving is a collective giving resouces not only raising money to support Native-led organizations responding to community needs, but shifting harmful narratives
Watch "Gather" on Netflix, Vimeo, or other platforms "Gather is an intimate portrait of the growing movement amongst Native Americans to reclaim their spiritual, political and cultural identities through food sovereignty, while battling the trauma of centuries of genocide."
A Conversation With Native Americans on Race
This is a growing, evolving, and community-created resource. Please share any additional resources, personal experiences using this tool, or ways this page could be improved!