2014 Farm Bill<\/a>, SDFR was created to be a voice for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers and ensure data-driven information is available for Congress and other stakeholders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cWe are excited about the generous contribution from Walmart to SDFR to aid in their impactful work with Black farmers in the state and beyond,\u201d said Dr. Felecia Nave, president of Alcorn. \u201cAs we continue to stay true to our mission as a land grant university, this grant will help unlock critical resources for farmers. Small farmers and ranchers play a vital role in local, rural economies like Mississippi.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This project aims to increase the number of Black farmers successfully operating farms by expanding access to capital. This will require the United States Congress to adopt policy recommendations that drive equity in U.S. Department of Agriculture programs and policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe project\u2019s goal is for Black and other socially disadvantaged farmers to receive equitable and economic integration of USDA programs and policies, including access to capital,\u201d said Eloris Speight, SDFR executive director. \u201cPolicy recommendations will be developed and delivered to Congress after completing data analysis and research studies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 1920, there were nearly one million Black farmers in the United States. A century later, there are fewer than 50,000 Black farmers in the United States, according to census data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). In addition, the Black-owned farms that remain are smaller on average than other farms, and Black farmers make a fraction of what White farmers make in farm income.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe research performed by the SDFR is imperative because Black farmers have essentially become endangered in America,\u201d said Speight. \u201cFrom 1868 to 1934, the federal government gave away 246 million acres of farmland, in 160-acre land grants, to over 1.5 million White families and fewer than 6,000 Black families.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The work and mission of SDFR are to conduct research, analyze policy and make recommendations seeking to achieve equitable and economic integration of USDA programs and policies for socially disadvantaged farmers, ranchers, communities, and rural landowners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSince its inception, the SDFR has worked tirelessly to identify how Black farmers have historically and currently fund their farm operations,\u201d said Speight. \u201cThe SDFR has long positioned itself as an advocate for the black farmer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The grant from Walmart will help Alcorn and other 1890 universities identify the barriers that prevent these farmers from accessing federal loan programs and recommend solutions for eliminating obstacles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cInterventions are needed to provide equitable financial practices for Black farmers to ensure stability, economic mobility and required intergenerational wealth to advance Black farmers as entrepreneurs and local enterprises,\u201d said Speight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
#30#<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Arkansas Delta Informer Staff \u2013 June 10, 2022 \u2013 A research group at Alcorn State<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":722,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,48],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/arkansasdeltainformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/721"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/arkansasdeltainformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/arkansasdeltainformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arkansasdeltainformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arkansasdeltainformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=721"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/arkansasdeltainformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/721\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":723,"href":"https:\/\/arkansasdeltainformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/721\/revisions\/723"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arkansasdeltainformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/722"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/arkansasdeltainformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=721"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arkansasdeltainformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=721"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arkansasdeltainformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=721"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}