Vanishing Black farmers: Grassroot efforts, podcast hope to bring Black producers back to the farm

This summer, more than 43,000 Black farmers received their share of a $2.2 billion USDA settlement for years of discriminatory loan practices dating back to the early 1900s. For many, the payout comes too late as Black farmers are leaving the profession in droves. However, there’s a new network of growers who are working to change that. In 1920, The Land Trust Alliance says Black farmers owned approximately 14-19 million acres of land. Today, that number is around 5.3 million acres — less than a half percent of America’s farmland.