The Color of Food

The connection between people of color and agriculture traces back to the days of slavery and exploitative labor systems that existed even after abolishing slavery. Although black Americans can own land, there exist systemic policies against black farmers and landowners. However, African-Americans have taken farming as a historical event that needs to be continued in their culture and promote community health. In her book “The Color of Food,” Natasha Bowens gives compelling stories of resilience of people of color despite being forgotten and treated unequally. From her writing, we derive several inferences, including farming, as a legacy of people of color and how policies disconnect people from land and farm.

I read Bowens’ book, and she claims that African Americans have legacies of “innovative agriculture, family heritages, and stories rooted in the land.” She further wonders why we could not keep farming as part of our culture and celebrate it (Bowens 4). My family was connected to the farm many years ago from my great grandfather to my father. My family has owned more than 30 acres of land in Florida that we inherited from our great grandfather with the intention of living and working on it. Currently, the farm is owned by my father, who took over after the death of my grandfather. We have been able to raise the family and made countless memories from there. While I was young, my grandfather received several offers to sell the land but turned them down. Also, my grandfather realized all these were scams aimed to land us into trouble. He made sure that we had all the original title deeds and proactively paid taxes just if we would find ourselves in questions of ownership. My father currently manages the farm, and I help him more often. Growing up with my grandfather was the best experience I ever had because I understood how vital land was for us. I have seen so many people try to grab our land more than our white counterparts have experienced.

I read Bowens’ writing that we can make farming our culture, and I believe that African-Americans have worked on the farm since many years ago. Our ancestors worked on farms, though as slaves, it can become a culture for us in the modern-day. I witnessed my grandfather spend most of the time outdoors before his death. Spending my time with him made me learn to plant several crops, and I usually build gardens in our backyard. I love getting my hands dirty, growing sweet potatoes, corn, kales, watermelons, and other crops. I wondered why my grandfather went to the farm often, but now I get the connection when I see the fruits of my labor. As a black female at a young age, I never thought I would spend much time on the farm as I do. My father’s support makes me think of Bowens’ writing that family heritages are rooted in the land because of my ancestors’ consistency on the farm. I believe that values are passed from one generation to another, which is evident in my family as farming is passed from generation to generation without segregating females. I have been so much rooted in the farm that I eat specific foods, and I cannot walk into the grocery stores to look for them.

The current generation has a high chance of disconnecting from land and farming because of circumstances. Bowen argues that “We have also been losing our connection to the land, our food, and culture as each generation leaves the farm and rural towns for jobs in urban areas, and we become dependent on the industrialization of agriculture and corporatization of our food system” (Bowens 4). I have seen a disconnection from land and farming in the current generation. On several occasions, I have left home to go to school, which meant that I had to learn new cultures. I infer that the search for education in the current generation contributes significantly to the disconnection from culture. Also, agriculture has been highly industrialized, and many people are leaving rural homes for towns to look for better jobs. While in school, I have met several African-Americans who have never been to a farm, have never owned land, and do not have the same food culture. Severally I had thought that I am different, and I am going back to slavery times when African-Americans worked in the farms. Many young people believe that farming was for the slaves and their destinations are in urban centers. The disconnection from land and farming further interferes with the connection between food and culture.

I infer that the inequitable policies against people of color lead to the disconnection from land and farming. As Bowens states, “There are farmers of color fighting to keep the land they are losing at three times the rate of White farmers.” (Bowens 4). Since I was a child, my grandfather struggled to keep the land from people who claimed to buy the land at higher prices. My grandfather knew this was a scam and was always keen to get original and real title deeds for the farms. However, inequity also occurs in the market where farmer markets open in ethnic groups that do not have include people of color. On several occasions, my father and I have not sold our farm produce because of the unequal distribution of healthy food options. My father thinks of selling the piece of land and resorting to other activities as he does not see a change in policies for the current generation. Sometimes, the people given the mandate to make our neighborhood policies are not from our area and make policies for places they have never lived in. I have asserted that the global food systems allow the selling of crops at lower prices in other countries than the local farmers, hence forcing farmers to stop business and leave their land to look for other options of survival.

I have been connected to food, farm, and land since I was a child and the Bowens’ concept of farming as a culture for people of color reflects my life. I connect to the farm, not because of slavery, but my family has practiced farming for a very long time.  Despite many people’s attempts to take away our piece of land, my grandfather made sure that farming remained a part of us. However, other policies such as framer markets that do not include people of color contribute to the disconnection from land and farm, which disconnect food and culture. The current generation disconnects from land and farming due to the industrialization of agriculture that forces people to move from urban to rural areas. Despite the policies, I have been resilient in the farm as passed to me by our grandfather.