Welcome to our week in review, a digest of noteworthy items that we are seeing, sharing, and saying on social media. We’re sharing it here to our farmers, supporters, and fellow farming advocates who may not follow us on all social platforms. If you do follow us on one social platform you might not be seeing all that we share, so this blog digest is a good place to get access to highlights from across platforms.
Amid the pandemic, and inequities of our food system, farmers are persisting to shift markets, meet new demand and access support – and do whatever it takes to sustain their businesses and feed their communities. At Land For Good, we’re also doing whatever it takes to serve our farmers and advocate at every level on their behalf. We continue to listen, learn, and hold dialogue on racial equity. We seek to raise the voices of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and farmers and be an ally to them, as well as other organizations working with BIPOC farmers.
You’ll find news of a bill introduced by Representative Alma Adams (D-NC-12) that will provide direct aid to farmers and local markets feeding families amidst the pandemic. This bill addresses many of the ways the New England farmers we support have been left out of receiving COVID-19 relief. Read on for two articles featuring Black farmers who have returned to land. These farmers are creating opportunities for other Black people who have historically been dispossessed of their land and still face systemic racial inequity when accessing farmland. Lastly, we turn your attention to climate crisis and farming. Our nation’s farmers and farmworkers are bearing the brunt of this week’s natural disasters, and, yet, they continue to steward the land in the fields and as advocates for climate change mitigation and resiliency.
Farmer Relief Bill to Watch
- Read: National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition’s blog post on The Local and Regional Farmer and Market Support Act
Black Farmers Fighting for Racial Equity in Agriculture
- Read: “Chris Newman: Typing truth in the fight for equity in farming” by Bea Wilson, Ag Daily
- Read and/or listen: “‘Make Farmers Black Again’ African Americans Fight Discrimination to Own Farmland” by Jillin Forstadt, NPR
- Register to attend: Reparative Justice by supporting Black Farmers and Gardeners: A Virtual Field Trip to Washington D.C.
Climate Crisis and Farming
- Read: National Farmers Union’s Twitter thread on climate change’s impact on farm labor
- Watch: National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition’s Climate Letter Delivery to the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis
- Take action: @for_the_love_of_earth has compiled a list of organizations working on the ground to support farmworkers and their families as well as ways to take political action to demand fair wages
If you’d like more, you can find the rest of what we’re saying and sharing on social media — Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
