Equity in Minnesota Farming and Farm to School Programs
2019-08-14
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Equity in Minnesota Farming and Farm to School Programs
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2019-08-14
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Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC) farmers are underrepresented in the farm to school (FTS) market and in all areas of farming in Minnesota. In partnership with the University of Minnesota Extension, a team of four graduate students from the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs conducted a research project on BIPOC farming in the FTS market in Minnesota. The project examined some of the reasons behind this underrepresentation, both historic and current, and brings recommendations forward from BIPOC farmers for possible improvements. Specifically, the group investigated why there are so few BIPOC farmers farming in Minnesota and around the U.S. and what can be done at the local, state, and federal level to improve representation in farming.
A number of themes emerged in our research about barriers BIPOC farmers face, which contributes to why their presence in the field is scarce. Historical inequities in land use and distribution, the forced removal and pilfering of land from Indigenous people, and the systematic denial of land and money to BIPOC farmers have all led to current conditions that make entering or continuing to farm nearly impossible for BIPOC farmers. Requirements for things like refrigeration and transportation in larger markets are expensive and make entrance into these markets difficult for all small and mid-sized farmers. Coupled with historic inequities, entrance for BIPOC farmers is considerably more challenging. Because farming is hard work and the returns are marginal, younger people are not entering the industry, drying up the pipeline of future generations going into farming. Recommendations from BIPOC farmers on how to address barriers and increase participation in FTS and farming, in general, could not only improve racial equity in the sector, but also offer solutions to broader agricultural problems faced by farmers and policymakers alike.
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Capstone paper for the fulfillment of the Master of Public Affairs degree.
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Olds, Tara; Schned, Molly; Gill, Matt; Norquist, Penny. (2019). Equity in Minnesota Farming and Farm to School Programs. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/208467.
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