USDA issues payments to address discrimination against Black farmers

Transcript

AILSA CHANG, HOST:

This week the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the rollout of a long-awaited program aimed at addressing past discrimination. For decades, Black farmers and others have argued that they've been left behind by the USDA's lending programs. When running for president in 2020, Biden vowed to fix that and bring more equity to farming. So how far does this new program go in accomplishing that? Well, NPR's political reporter, Ximena Bustillo, has been following this program since the very beginning. Hi, Ximena.

XIMENA BUSTILLO, BYLINE: Hey there.

CHANG: OK. So as we mentioned, Black farmers and others have often criticized the USDA's lending programs, you know, for the past decades. What's been their argument exactly?

BUSTILLO: Well, nearly two decades ago, Black farmers sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Then there were other class actions from Native Americans and one from Hispanic farmers, and then women farmers filed their own. They said that the USDA didn't give them access to low interest rate loans and grants that resulted in loss of their land, farms and opportunity. Advocates also argue that some of the settlement payments from class actions never made it to the hands of those farmers. In 2022, Congress passed a bill that created $2 billion for farmers who can show that they were discriminated against.

CHANG: Two billion dollars. So how much money specifically are these farmers getting individually?

BUSTILLO: USDA announced that it has already issued payments to 43,000 individuals in all 50 states, ranging from $10,000 to half a million. They say that the assistance will help farmers continue or start farming or ease loss of income. Here's Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

TOM VILSACK: This financial assistance is not compensation for anyone's loss or the pain endured, but it is an acknowledgment by the department. And our hope is and the president's hope is that this financial assistance will help many farmers stay on the farm, contribute to our nation's food supply and continue to do what they love.

BUSTILLO: Now, although a lot of this advocacy started with Black farmers, this program is race neutral. Congress previously tried to create a program that gave money specifically to farmers of color, but that was quickly stalled by various lawsuits.

CHANG: Well, do Black farmers see these payments as direct enough to address decades-long discrimination?

BUSTILLO: It's a little unclear. John Boyd, president of the National Black Farmers Association, says that he was elated when he heard the news.

JOHN BOYD: It's long overdue, you know, justice for Black farmers and other farmers of color who've been waiting so long, you know, to get some sort of relief.

BUSTILLO: Program also builds on another that doled out $2 billion to a similar number of farmers who are, quote, "economically distressed." That means farmers of any race who are behind on loan payments or on the brink of foreclosure. But since these new programs are race neutral, Black farmers and other farmers of color say that the move could hide the scope of the unequal lending practices. Advocates like Boyd say Black farmers need more equal access to credit and USDA programs.

BOYD: And we need it to happen on time. We need diversity in hiring at USDA. You know, we need some people that look like me when we're walking through these local offices.

BUSTILLO: Some farmers of color have sued the Biden administration to bring back the original race-based loan cancellation program.

CHANG: Well, Biden promised to bring equity to farming. Could this program now become a campaign talking point for Vice President Kamala Harris?

BUSTILLO: It is possible. Some of the states with the highest number of farmers of color are Arizona and Georgia, which are key swing states that helped Biden win in 2020. According to the USDA, tens of thousands of farmers will receive assistance in the South. We'll still have to see if farmers connect these payments to Biden, though, and the Biden-Harris administration, while Democrats are really looking to increase the support in rural areas.

CHANG: That is NPR's Ximena Bustillo. Thank you so much, Ximena.

BUSTILLO: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.