By: D. Morris
Since their peak of land ownership in the early 20th century, their numbers and acreage have fallen drastically due to systemic discrimination, land loss, and economic hardships.
Drastic decline in numbers and land
The statistics illustrate a severe decline in the number of Black-owned farms and total acreage over the last century. 1910–1920: Black Americans owned and operated approximately 16–20 million acres of farmland, with nearly one million Black farmers.
2022: The number of Black farmers has plummeted to just over 46,700, and they operate only about 5.3 million acres of land. This represents a loss of nearly 90% of Black- owned farmland over the course of a century.
Key factors behind the decline
Several interconnected factors have driven the systemic and prolonged dispossession of Black farmers from their land.
USDA discrimination
For decades, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) actively discriminated against Black farmers, denying them access to loans, subsidies, and other critical programs that were provided to white farmers.
Late loan approval: USDA loan officers would often delay approvals for Black farmers until after the planting season, forcing them to turn to high- interest private lenders.
Systemic bias: A 1997 class- action lawsuit, Pigford v. Glickman, documented the USDA’s bias and resulted in a settlement, though many farmers received insufficient relief. Many farmers assert that dis- criminatory practices continued even after the settlement.
