Sophie Ackoff: Decentralizing power in agriculture to support the next generation of farmers
Sophie Ackoff (@sophie.ackoff) is the co-executive director of the National Young Farmers Coalition (Instagram: @youngfarmers; Twitter: @youngfarmers; Facebook: @youngfarmerscoalition), which is a national advocacy network of young farmers fighting for the future of agriculture.
In this podcast episode, Sophie sheds light on the challenges that young people—especially Black, Indigenous, and young people of color—uniquely face when trying to become farmers; the distinction between farmworkers and farmers and who really produces our food; and more.
To start, get a glimpse below into the conversation between Sophie and Green Dreamer Podcast's host, Kamea Chayne.
Musical feature: Trust The Sun by I Need Angels by Adrian Sutherland & Midnight Shine
“The reality now is that 95% of farmers in the U.S. are white. This is a direct result of policies and practices that have been designed to prevent the success of BIPOC farmers.”
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This is a conversation on Green Dreamer with Kamea Chayne, a podcast and multimedia journal illuminating our paths towards ecological regeneration, intersectional sustainability, and true abundance and wellness for all. This preview has been edited for clarity. Subscribe to Green Dreamer Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any podcast app, and support Green Dreamer on Patreon so we can keep the show going and accessible to a wider audience!
On the racial injustice of agricultural land ownership:
"The reality now is that 95% of farmers in the U.S. are white. This is a direct result of policies and practices that have been designed to prevent the success of BIPOC farmers.
We know that our agricultural system is rooted in stolen land and stolen labor from colonization that displaced Indigenous peoples from their lands to the institution of slavery that really built the wealth of this nation on the back of Black folks.
When slavery ended, freed slaves were not given their promised 40 acres and a mule. A lot of people have heard of that promise—that idea of land reform and giving access to land to freed slaves. But that was a promise that was not realized."
On distinguishing farmers vs. farm workers:
"In the statistic that I shared that 95% of farmers are white, ['farmers' are defined as] farm owners and principal operators, according to the census.
When we pull the lens back and look at who is actually doing the most farm work in this country, the demographics change really quickly: We see the extent to which the agricultural labor in this country is performed by Latinx individuals and farmworkers all across Central America."
Final words of wisdom:
"Young farmers and farmers of color are doing this work despite all obstacles and we really all benefit if they're successful.
So, let's go out there and raise our voices together to demand that the government support and incentivize their farms so we can all benefit."
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