Resources for BIPOC Flower Farmers (and their Allies)

There is a considerable lack of flower farmers of color (with the possible exception of the Hmong community who have had a long tradition of flower farming long before it became a mainstream trend to do so) and one of the questions I’ve always had is “Why is that the case?”

There’s part of me that figured that a lot of people of color have come from backgrounds where our parents or other forebears worked in agriculture - and for many of our parents and grandparents, they made a lot of sacrifices to ensure that we DIDN’T have to work in agriculture and could take white-collar jobs instead.

There’s also another part of me that figured there is a large sort of internal bias where people of color - especially as it relates to either slavery or another form of indentured agricultural work - find any sort of farming or agriculture or even gardening to have a very negative connotation.

Although we would like to think that farming is one area of life where things are equitable, it is far from the case. American has a long history of racial disparity when it comes to farmers of color. Specifically with a lack of access to land, loss or theft of land, lack of resources, and racial discrimination from lenders and other members of the community.

There’s much more to why there is a severe lack of flower farmers of color, so I did some research on the subject. And although flower farming is very new, there’s still a considerable lack of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People Of Color) in the field - and after some reading I further understand why this is the case.

I’m recommending a few articles to start off with- some are interviews, some get more into the history, but they show a different picture of farming from the perspective of people of color and specifically Black, Native American, Japanese and Hmong farmers.

This is by no means a comprehensive list or summary of the history - but it’s a beginning.

some articles to start off with

BLACK FARMERS

Why Have America’s Black Farmers Disappeared?

95% of America’s farmers are white - with only 1.3% of them black, and only owning 0.52% of America’s farmland. 80% of land owned by black people has been lost since 1910 due to racial profiling of loan applications, serial number distributions and multiple other issues that aren’t a factor for white farmers.

A New Generation of Black Farmers is Returning to the Land

“The number of Black farmers has declined from 14 percent of the nation’s farmers in 1910 to less than 2 percent today–with a corresponding loss of more than 12 million acres of land. Melissa Gordon’s thesis research at Tufts University shows wealth denied the Black community through farmland loss exceeds $120 billion.” Also features three organizations working to repair the harm to Black farmers including Black Farmer Fund, Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust, and Black Land and Power Fund.

Land loss has plagued Black America since emancipation - is it time to look again at ‘black commons’ and collective ownership?

“ An expanded concept of the “black commons” – based on shared economic, cultural and digital resources as well as land – could act as one means of redress. As professors in urban planning and landscape architecture, our research suggests that such a concept could be a part of undoing the racist legacy of chattel slavery by encouraging economic development and creating communal wealth (including communal growing spaces for gathering and spending time with each other, forming credit unions and co-ops to help Black farmers become land owners, and using crowdsourcing to source land to create areas for Black farmers to grow in).

How Black Farmers and Trying to End Centuries of Racism in America’s Food System

After a history of losing their land for anything from fleeing violence specifically targeted at Black land owners to not having the legal deeds and wills to pass on their land, some farmers such as Keisha Cameron of High Hog Farm have some ideas as far as fixing the inequities - not just as far as a reparations check, but ensuring that Black farmers are able to create sustainable and long-term wealth and success and security as well.

Modern Farmer: Black Land Matters

Although Turner considers the proliferation of black-run urban farms a positive trend, he notes that these growers rarely hold the deed to the land they work. “I support the efforts to turn vacant lots into community gardens,” he explains, “but that’s not going to create an inheritance for generations to come. The way to achieve parity in this country is by owning a piece of the rock.”

What happened to America’s Black farmers?

An interview with John Boyd on the history of American Black farmers, and personal experiences on experiencing racism as a Black farmer as well as potential strategies to help Black farmers return to the land.

Native American Agriculture Fund to Distribute $266 Million

The U.S. government agreed to pay $680 million in damages for nearly twenty years of systematic discrimination in the awarding of farm loans.

How Racism has Shaped the American Farming Landscape

“…Farmers of color, immigrant farmers, and female farmers, who typically have smaller farms and grow higher-value, labor-intensive products such as fruits, nuts, and vegetables have received less government support… Farmers of color face other challenges as well, from challenges in succession planning and a lack of capital to pay taxes and liens, to resistance to farming rooted in the historical trauma associated with slavery… This doesn’t mean all white farmers have had it easy, either. Many have been pushed out of farming in recent decades due to increasing industrialization and consolidation, which has made American agriculture extremely efficient in some ways, and entirely inhumane and ecologically irresponsible in others.”

Bitter Harvest

The Japanese internment during World War II was for more than political reasons - it was also for capitalist reasons as well. “This was very largely a movement by a lot of different people to use the opportunity to get the Japanese farmer off the West Coast . . . . They got all their land, they got thousands and thousands of acres of the best land in California.”

After the war, many evacuees returned to find their uninsured homes and farms sold, destroyed or burned to the ground, their equipment stolen and their wells dry.

The Davis Research Group also found that several corporate agribusiness interests, as well as members of the Western Growers and Shippers Association, received confiscated Japanese land at practically no cost. Documentation showing which group received what vanished after World War II.

Floral History - The Early Era

“Like many new industries in the still young United States, the floral industry was fueled by immigrants.  Many of the 19th Century immigrants to California were from agrarian cultures, which was a perfect match for the land and climate they found in their new home.  Chinese, Japanese and Italian immigrants were among the early flower farmers in both Southern and Northern California.

Despite significant obstacles such as California’s Alien Land Laws of 1913 and 1920, prohibiting “aliens ineligible for citizenship” from owning agricultural land or possessing long-term leases over it, Japanese immigrants persevered and made significant contributions to the state and the nation, including the emerging California flower industry. “

(Note that California has historically and continues to have significant sway over the American flower industry, including having founded the San Francisco flower market that is still in operation today).

The Japanese-American Flower Growers Who Made Phoenix Bloom

A personal account of the daughter of a second generation Japanese family (nisei) who after leaving the internment camps moved to Phoenix to start growing flowers that became an oasis of color and scent in the brown desert, attracting tourists and not just surviving - but thriving in spite of their circumstances.

Also mentioned are the LatinX and Native Americans that were integral to the success of these flower farmers!

‘Few Know the Blood We Shed’ Say Seattle’s Hmong Farmers

Hmong farmers that fought for the CIA during the Vietnam war later had to flee their home country to survive after the withdrawal of U.S. troops and still are finding a place to call home. Many Hmong farmers have grown and sold flowers at farmers markets for almost forty years now (with the second generation now taking over the family business) and were (in my opinion) some of the ‘original’ flower farmers who were doing this before it was ever cool to do so.

Where Do We Go from Here?

That’s a good question.

Although there’s a lot of discussion regarding how to address the disparity, it’s also understandable that not everyone has the same idea. Some suggest that getting BIPOC farmers onto land to start accumulating wealth and long-term and sustainable farms is the way to go. The idea of reparations has come up more than once. And still others are stating that perhaps agriculture is the least of the worries regarding BIPOC when it comes to the inequitable rate of police brutality and incarceration against ethnic minorities in America.

However, I think the most important thing that we can do is to learn. The more we know, the more history we are aware of, the better we understand our current situation and what BIPOC have experienced as farmers - and how it has been different from the more mainstream experience.

We must also keep the conversation going. We must ask questions - what can we do to make things right? What can we do to bring more awareness to BIPOC farmers? How can we support them financially, socially, politically? And over time the answers will become more clear. As more progress has been made (such as the Black farmer reparations, Native American reparations and Japanese reparations) we get a little bit closer to making things right.

It will take a lot of work, a lot of activism, and a lot of education on all our parts, but I'm hopeful that we can continue to make a difference.

Below are some organizations that support and advocate and lobby for BIPOC farmers - this would be a good place to start. Remember to also search locally to see if there are local chapters or organizations that you can donate your time, money or awareness to.

Organizations for BIPOC Flower Farmers

Black Farmers Network

Stories and inspiration of black farmers as well as a network for sharing resources, products and services  - there are a lot of great profiles of black farmers, black farmer advocates and political figures here, and the writing is really good - highly recommended!

National Black Farmer’s Association. 

Since its inception in 1995, the NBFA has advocated for the inclusion of black farmers on the subsidies (with current subsidy bills excluding black farmers from their benefits). Most recently, they lobbied for a case that charged the USDA of withholding and blocking aid to black farmers (aid that was ruled in favor of the black farmers in the case of Pigfield v. Glickman back in 1999) allowing for $1.15 billion to resolve the cases of the black farmers. 

Black Family Land Trust

A conservation land trust (based out of North Carolina) dedicated to the preservation and protection of African-American and other historically undeserved landowner assets. Representing Black and other people of color both in their leadership as well as their mission, they help BIPOC farmers in the setup and sustaining of their land.

Soil Generation

Located in Philadelphia, Soil Generation is a coalition of black and brown farmers and growers focused on gaining (or regaining) access to land for BIPOC as well as securing the ability to maintain and keep access to the land. They not only work to facilitate consultations and help with starting organizations and building gardens, but also offer dialogue and training as well. 

National Black Grower’s Council

A national organization that advocate for black farmers in the U.S. and teaches young men and women about farming and agriculture. Although not necessarily aimed towards flower farming specifically (focusing mostly on cash crops like soy and peanuts) they are a good resource for black farmers and their allies. You can also donate to the council to support black farmers. 

Traditional Native American Farmer’s Association

”The promotion of traditional agriculture insures economic, social and health stability in our communities. Where we see the decline in farming in our communities we also see the decline in the social and physical health of our people. TNAFA's goals are to reverse this trend by developing educational programs that will demonstrate sustainable agriculture. Educating farmers and youth in community scale organic farming will ensure a future in agriculture.”

Hmong American Farmers Association (Twin Cities, MN)

Today, Hmong American farmers are leading the Twin Cities local food economy, making up more than 50% of all the farmers in metropolitan farmers markets. Hmong farmers are at the center of a Minnesota-based local foods economy that according to AgStar Financial Services generates over $250 million in annual sales. Without Hmong farmers, this explosion of awareness and interest in local foods and small-scale farming in Minnesota would not be possible… Still, Hmong farmers continue to face many barriers to accessing land, financing, training, research and markets and building sustainable family businesses.

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