History of African-American agriculture

The role of African Americans in the agricultural history of the United States includes roles as the main work force when they were enslaved on cotton and tobacco plantations in the Antebellum South. The efforts to support or control Black Americans—through aid, land, relocation, or economic policy—were often limited, reversed, or rooted in discrimination. The Emancipation Proclamation, while symbolically powerful, had limited immediate impact on freeing all enslaved people. After the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863-1865 most stayed in farming as very poor sharecroppers, who rarely owned land. In the 20th century policies promoting systemic racism and discrimination—through Jim Crow laws and the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA)—were used to exclude and oppress Black Americans, particularly in the South.They began the Great Migration to cities in the 1910s. About 40,000 are farmers today, compared to the 1 million farmers in the beginning of slavery. Currently Black farmers face systemic barriers, but groups like Freedmen Heirs are working to restore equity and opportunity in agriculture. Programs like Freedmen Heirs support Black farmers through culturally tailored technical assistance, market access, and regenerative agriculture practices, aiming to build equity, sustainability, and success in agriculture.