Racial equity in organic

Creating an equitable food system is a core value for the organic community:

• Diversity is a central tenet of organic: In the same way that biological diversity is foundational to the healthy agricultural systems we support, we recognize that diversity of people makes the organic movement healthier and more sustainable.

• Systemic racism has disenfranchised Black & Brown Farmers: Access to the organic movements and to organic certification has not been equal across racial groups: systematic racism has kept our movement from reaching its full potential. Only 3% of organic farmers identify as "Black, Indigenous, LatinX, Asian American or Pacific Islanders.

• Acknowledging Indigenous knowledge: Black & brown farmers have been, and continue to be, foundational to every aspect of the organic movement. Our movement has historically mostly elevated the voices of white (male) farmers as pioneers/fathers of the organic movement.

• Collective liberation: Farmer Focus Group & NORA report has showed that a lot of the challenges faced by BIPOC farmers were faced by many small-scale white farmers. Addressing these challenges would help all farmers.

NOC Racial Equity Work

As a coalition, we are prioritizing racial equity in our organization and strategies, and have committed to listen, understand, learn, amplify, work, and act to address and dismantle systemic racism. 

Specifically, NOC has committed to:

1. Listen to how the organic movement is perceived among diverse groups, be present in, and support spaces led by people of color;

2. Reflect on the history of institutionalized racism and white supremacy, and how this has led to the inequities in organic food and agriculture that continue to the present day;

3. Seek information regarding the ways in which current policies are impacting the demographics of the organic industry;

4. Work to diversify NOC membership and NOC affiliates to include organizations and businesses focused on racial equity and social justice;

5. Train ourselves and our community so that we can be effective advocates and allies;

6. Become vigilant regarding race and social justice issues that we, as organic advocates, support and promote through our work;

7. Build processes to help us view the work through a lens that evaluates impacts and opportunities from racial perspectives; and

8. Create paths for leadership and influence in organic food and farming for people of color, in partnership with other organizations.

We invite you to read NOC’s full racial equity statement here. 

DATA

“From 2012 to 2014, […] farmers of color (Black, Asian, Native American, Pacific Islander, and those reporting more than one race) comprised less than 3 percent of non-farming landowners and less than 4 percent of owner-operators. They were more likely to be tenants than owners; they also owned less land and smaller farms, and generated less wealth from farming than their white counterparts. Meanwhile, Latinx farmers comprised about 2 percent of non-farming landowners and about 6 percent of owner-operators and tenant operators, well below their 17 percent representation in the U.S. population. They also comprised over 80 percent of farm laborers, a notoriously under-compensated, difficult, and vulnerable position in U.S. farming.” (From "How Racism Has Shaped the American Farming Landscape”, published in Eater, January 2019)

We recognize that access to the organic and “good food” movements and to organic certification has not been equal across racial groups and that systematic racism has kept our movement from reaching its full potential. Only 3% of organic farmers are people of color. The 2017 Census of Agriculture showed that the Total organic product sales for “Farms with White Operators” was $30,545,420, $3,464,680 for “Farms with Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino Operators”, and $120,980 for “Farms with Black or African American Operators”.

Partners for Racial Equity in Organic

NOC is a part of a group of partners working to advance racial equity in the USDA National Organic Program certification and inspection process. This group is committed to creating an organic community that prioritizes racial equity and does the necessary work to reduce barriers that prevent Black, Indigenous, Latine, and other BIPOC farmers and farm workers from participating in this program in the ways that they choose. 

Thanks to work led by Organic Farmers Association, with funding from the USDA, Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP), the following projects are made possible:

• Equity Learning Cohort for sustainable and organic organizations: The cohort learning exchange will intersperse learning sessions with planning and practice. At the end of the learning exchange, your team will have actionable next steps for your journey for equity and racial justice in your work, and strong relationships with several other organizations working on their own next steps (learn more).

• Farmer Affinity Groups: Being an organic farmer can be isolating, especially if you have traditionally been underserved in agriculture and within the organic community.  These community groups and mentoring spaces will support transitioning and certified underserved organic farmers.  These farmer community groups for transitioning and certified organic farmers allow farmers with similar lived experience to support each other in a safe space to discuss market and production challenges and support one another for success through sharing knowledge and resources. 

• Internships at organic organizations: Research has shown that Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) students are severely underrepresented in agriculture and agricultural education (Hartmann & Martin, 2021). While diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) continues to be a topic of conversation across the workforce, the development of support throughout the career pipeline has been slow and inconsistent. A critical piece to increasing diversity in the organic sector includes supporting the exploration of career opportunities in the industry. In order to support these efforts, through the TOPP program, Organic Farmers Association has created the Students of Color Organic Career Network (OCN), which will support internships for BIPOC students in organic organizations and certification agencies. The goal of this program is to provide students with the opportunity to get hands-on experience with organic certification, inspection, and farmer education organizations and agencies.

Learn more about the project here.

This project is supported through funding from the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service, National Organic Program Human Capital Project, and through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP). TOPP is a program of the USDA Organic Transition Initiative and is administered by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) National Organic Program (NOP).

Resources on equity, antiracism, and whiteness in organic food systems

1. OFA Webpage on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion resources for Organic Professionals: https://organicfarmersassociation.org/dei/

   • "DEI Resources for Organic Professionals" - Project Report & Lessons Learned (2022)

2. Cambium Collective, History of Racism in US Agriculture & Organic webinar, 2021: https://www.nationalorganiccoalition.org/blog/2021/12/17/presentation-on-the-history-of-racism-in-us-ag-amp-organic-recording-available

3. Tiffany LaShae, Virtual Presentation: History of Racism in US Agriculture & Organic: The Last 100 Years. Recording here, and supporting

4. Penniman, Leah. Farming While Black, Leah Penniman, Chelsea Green Publishing Company, 2018 https://www.farmingwhileblack.org/

5. Soul Fire Farm Action Steps & Policy Platform for Food Sovereignty https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dt0hicyhGdJSKlC3qyE1AbG9fdDrONjUh_M_bE0KMGs/edit

6. White, Monica. “A pig and a garden”: Fannie Lou Hamer and the Freedom Farms Cooperative, 2017 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07409710.2017.1270647?journalCode=gfof20&

7. Story by Vann R. Newkirk II. “The Great Land Robbery.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, September 2019, www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/09/this-land-was-our-land/594742/

8. Story by  Nathan Rosenberg + Bryce Wilson Stucki. “How USDA distorted data to conceal decades of discrimination against Black farmers.” The Counter, June 2019. https://thecounter.org/usda-black-farmers-discrimination-tom-vilsack-reparations-civil-rights/ 

9. Story by Civil Eats Editors. “Leaders of Color Discuss Structural Racism and White Privilege in the Food System”. Civil Eats, June 2016. https://civileats.com/2016/07/15/black-lives-matter-in-the-food-movement-too/

10. NASS 2017 Census of Agriculture Data

For a more complete list of resources related to racial equity in organic agriculture aggregated by NOC, visit our racial equity in organic resource page.

NOC Racial Equity Committee

NOC’s Racial Equity committee meets monthly with the following goals: (1) develop internal capacity through facilitated discussions and learning, (2) discuss specific organic policies related to racial equity, (3) add a critical racial equity lens to NOC’s policy priorities, and (4) suggest and plan NOC’s racial equity agenda.

NOC work & comments on racial equity in organic:

NOC Racial Equity Statement (rev. 2021): https://app.box.com/s/gspn96m4pperovt7tnyi0fruksx9ut0a

NOC Fall 2023 Written Comments to the NOSB - Racial Equity Comments pages 9 - 13: https://app.box.com/s/lnb3xsc5p5vu0k0upo9vhhz8ax82vzki

NOC Spring 2023 Written Comments to the NOSB - Racial Equity Comments pages 11-16. https://app.box.com/s/lvjy4ze0tbw2ak4cgf2e3mjk9mt2s9l6

NOC Fall 2022 Written Comments to the NOSB - Racial Equity Comments pages 11-16. https://app.box.com/s/lvjy4ze0tbw2ak4cgf2e3mjk9mt2s9l6

NOC Spring 2022 Written Comments to the NOSB - Racial Equity Comments pages 7-10. https://app.box.com/s/h74z3ogogorhjt5u92udr29gyw3swg0n

NOC Fall 2021 Written Comments to the NOSB - Racial Equity Comments pages 10-14. https://app.box.com/s/rorotnula52fp224sxqpqyspe3q19vor

NOC Comments to USDA on advancing racial justice and equity and support for underserved communities through USDA programs and policies (2021) https://www.nationalorganiccoalition.org/blog/2021/7/26/noc-asks-usda-to-create-a-more-inclusive-organic-program

House Agriculture Committee holds hearing on the State of Black Farmers in the U.S. (2021): https://www.nationalorganiccoalition.org/blog/2021/4/2/house-agriculture-committee-holds-hearing-on-the-state-of-black-farmers-in-the-us

NOC Statement of Solidarity with Black Lives Matter (2020) https://www.nationalorganiccoalition.org/blog/2020/6/9/noc-stands-in-solidarity-with-black-lives-matter

NOC Statement on Immigration Reform (2013) https://app.box.com/file/99461331419

Relevant NOC Pre NOSB Meeting Resources

NOC hosts “Pre NOSB Meetings” for organic stakeholders in conjunction with the biannual NOSB meetings. Below are some meeting resources that are relevant to racial equity in the organic movement.

• Presentation from the Spring 2021 Pre NOSB Meeting - Breakout Session F - Organic Certification on Tribal Operations

• Notes from the Fall 2020 Pre NOSB Meeting - Breakout Session E - A Discussion on Racial Disparities in Organic Certification

INPUT AND Feedback

NOC is actively engaged in learning and understanding the priorities faced by people of color in the organic community by listening to and developing trusting relationships with organic farmers of color, and organic food & farming organizations led by people of color.

If you have any feedback about racial equity in organic, or more specifically about NOC’s racial equity work, please let us know.

Find relevant news and updates on #Racial Equity blog posts.