Show Me the $: The Truth About An Average Black Farmer in America

I love the idea of returning to a more natural way of living.  Indeed no other community should have closer ties to mother earth than urban African Americans.  I've lived in Chicago all my life, and not once in my childhood had I ever seen a vegetable garden in someones yard. No schools, no churches, and surely no community gardens.  But now gardens are growing everywhere! I love to see urban spaces transformed into a cultural growing space for people to feel proud of.  I also love to see communities come together in attempts to lead the charge for other social issues that can be addressed through outdoor activities such as gardening be that vegetables or flower beds.

It is in the promotion of urban agriculture as a resolution to social issues that I begin to dissect the method in which this can be accomplished.  The prescription of urban ag for social issues is not misplaced, however I struggle with really understanding the boundaries to those benefits.  With urban Black communities facing issues around underemployment, unemployment, education limitations, poor health and more urban agriculture has emerged as a prescriptive green space for the social, emotional and cultural stressors of being Black in the city.

However are we really understanding how urban agriculture can benefit Black communities outside of growing to sell?  Don't get me wrong, the idea of generating revenue off of your harvest is what a farmer does, but is that what we should be doing? Maybe that came out wrong....I mean is that what we all should be attempting to do?  From my perspective creating a market driven garden or becoming a full time farmer is a utopian reality for everyone to attempt.  Let us look at some numbers of Black Farmers in the United States to ground us in the fiscal reality of farming.

The average value of sales of Black Farmers based upon the U.S. Agricultural Census of Black Farmers was about $21,000, in comparison to the average for ALL farmers which is around $130,000. Furthermore, 93% of those Black Farmers that reported receive less than 50% of their income from farming!! Yes I said it less than half of their income comes from farming.  So what insight does that impart upon those of us in the urban ag community as we talk about wealth building of people of color through urban agriculture?  For me, it means that communities need some support in understanding HOW to utilize the benefits of urban ag.

"Almost half (46 percent) of all black-operated farms are classified as beef cattle farms and ranches, compared to 30 percent of all farms nationwide. Another 20 percent are classified as “all other crop farms,” compared to 23 percent of farms overall. This category includes hay farms and farms where no single crop comprised more than 50 percent of sales. And, while 15 percent of farms overall are classified as grain and oilseed farms, only 8 percent of black-operated farms fall into this category." U.S. Agricultural Census USDA

Moving forward maybe it is not on the growing and selling of a harvest that will "generate local revenue". What if we circled back to utilize the production of foods and products for our own consumption and the consumption of our community members?  What if we found that sweet spot of harvest production that allowed our homes to SAVE $200 on their grocery bills available to SPEND $200 on supporting local businesses, or available to SPEND on increasing the value of their homes, or available to INVEST in resources like a snow plow for the block club during the winter (credit Jeffrey Jones IDNR). What if we saw this as an opportunity to NOT spend money?

The truth about an average Black Farmer in America is that they are also the working poor, and more often than not they are not selling vegetables.  In order for us to grow economically in our communities with urban ag we must be very intentional about how we identify and utilize the benefits of it.  I will continue to blog about urban ag from the perspective of sustainability and economic empowerment of urban minority communities.  As I have discussions and work over this summer I will highlight the other benefits such as environmental education, the revitalization of volunteerism and neighbor networks, the health benefits of getting outside, the increase in property values, the spiritual reconnection and more.  But I challenge those in urban ag working with communities on economic empowerment through urban ag to be forward thinking about alternative economic benefits besides the direct selling of produce.

Be well dear friends,

Kels

Follow me on Twitter: @greenKels