National Black Farmers Association

The National Black Farmers’ Association (NBFA) is a non-profit, community organization founded in February of 1995. Located in Bakersville, Virginia, the organization specializes in representing African American farmers. This organization focuses on education and advocacy, specifically when it comes to civil rights as well as access to loans and land retention. The site allows for clearer understanding of the historical and present day discrimination Black American farmers face. Looking into this site also shows the presence and impact Black farmers hold in American agriculture, as they are rarely the face of such.

One of the leading organizations for Black farmer advocacy is the National Black Farmers Association (NBFA). It was established in Bakersville, Virginia, in February of 1995, by John Boyd Jr. Boyd is a long time civil rights activist and fourth-generation farmer. The NBFA is a prominent part of agricultural America, known for leading protests and blatantly calling out local, state, and federal discrepancies Black farmers may encounter. Members and leaders of the organization often collaborate with others to take legal action against any individual or company they feel does not allow progression in the agricultural world, particularly for Black and small land-owning farmers. The National Black Farmers Association strives to be a loud and unwavering voice of advocacy when it comes to representation and receiving financial, legal, and emotional assistance from government officials.

Black Farmers in the South

Dating back to the initial days of chattel slavery, agriculture and farming have been a significant part of Black American history, specifically in the South. The contributions enslaved people made to agriculture trickled down through generations, and are seen to this day. After Emancipation, the quantity of Black farmers increased dramatically. By 1920, the amount of Black Americans in farming was close to 1 million, with a combined total of approximately 15 million acres of land. This was approximately 14% of all the farmers in America. Sharecropping also played a prominent role in the increased number of Black farmers. Being newly emancipated from institutional slavery, many Black people sought to make income via farming on their own acquired land. Under the impression that the money they received would allow them to make a living, several of the emancipated people that chose to remain in the southern part of the country opted to turn to agriculture as a means of living.

Barriers for Black Farmers

Unfortunately, Black Farmers have a history of suffering from discrimination. Due to what historians and activists consider an intentional creation of racialized barriers, the number of Black farmers rapidly dwindled. These include the fractured system of sharecropping post-emancipation, as well as the intentional exclusion of Black farmers in federal programs like the Homestead Act of 1862. Sharecropping proved itself to be a gilded reward, in which many Black farmers were not receiving a fair share of the income they brought in. This caused many to be forced to either give up their land or even end up in prison for extensive debts. The continued migration of Black people during this era was also great, as white people moved into the suburbs and Black Americans left farms and moved to vacated urban spaces in the North and West. 

By 1982, the ratio of white to Black farmers was 3:1. As of 2021, approximately less than two percent of American farmers identify as Black or mixed race. Of this small percentage, less than .5% of Black farmers are represented in sales. Black Farmers began to feel legal action needed to be taken, resulting in many lawsuits being formed against the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for discriminatory lending practices and other issues. Even when those legal matters were resolved, Black farmers still believed they were not given sufficient financial restitution. 

Current Efforts

In present times, the Biden administration has made attempts to offer loans and aid to Black farmers, worth up to $5 billion dollars. However, those efforts have been blocked by lawsuits made by white farmers who feel this is discriminatory. Black farmers disagree, believing they are the ones who are discriminated against and also overlooked in agricultural America. According to a 2021 study, only 37% of Black farmers received aid from the USDA, while 71% of white applicants did. Due to the disproportionate ratio of white to Black farmers, this is significant. Currently, the NBFA is collaborating with various legal representatives in order to address the reverse discrimination lawsuits from white farmers and remove the Black farmers’ aid block that is delaying long-awaited relief. At the beginning of 2022, Boyd and the organization called out PepsiCo, claiming that while PepsiCo has made a verbal commitment to address and stop discrimination, there has been no concrete action.

Ripple Effects

The NBFA works to continuously support these farmers. NBFA President Boyd has networked and reached out for change and equality in regard to Black and small-land owning farmers, which has allowed his organization to gain prominence in Black American agriculture. Boyd himself has served on many panels and committees on a federal level, including with the USDA under the Obama, Bush, and Biden administrations. His work with the NBFA has inspired other advocacy organizations to form at local and national levels, such as the Kansas Black Farmers Association, The Rural Coalition, and the National Black Food and Justice Alliance.

The Association and President Boyd also continue to provide inspiration to young Black agriculturalists, even providing scholarships to veterinary and agriculture-centered students in higher education institutions such as Fort Valley State University. Such financial aid has encouraged more Black students to pursue careers in agriculture. While the NBFA is closed to paid members only, the organization holds many events and conferences for Black farmers and advocates to get together and engage actively. Some are even free for the public to attend.

Boyd, John, Jr. John Boyd Jr. (Blog). Accessed November 23, 2022. https://www.johnboydjr.com/.

Bustillo, Ximena. “'Rampant Issues': Black Farmers Are Still Left Out at USDA.” Politico. July 5, 2021. https://www.politico.com/news/2021/07/05/Black-farmers-left-out-usda-497876.

Deborah George, Amy Mostafa. “Losing Ground.” Reveal. Reveal News, April 28, 2022. https://revealnews.org/podcast/losing-ground-2022/. 

Hinson, Waymon R., and Edward Robinson. “‘We Didn’t Get Nothing:’ the Plight of Black Farmers.” Journal of African American Studies 12, no. 3 (2008): 283–302. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12111-008-9046-5.

National Black Farmers Association, n.d.. https://www.Blackfarmers.org/.

Wood, Spencer. “Black Farmers United: The Struggle against Power and Principalities.” Journal of Pan African Studies, 2012.