US Department of Agriculture wants public input on selection of funding of proposed farming projects. 6 of the 50 projects could benefit South Carolina farmers.
During the 20th century, black Americans lost 90 percent of their land across the U.S. because of factors including lack of access to legal and banking systems and racial discrimination.
Duron Chavis is Chairman of the Board of the Central Virginia Agrarian Commons - a non-profit that focuses on putting land back into the hands of black farmers. He is also a community leader, an urban farmer, and an educator.
Callie Walker is a Methodist minister in rural Amelia county. She believes that reparations and restitution can take many forms. She also serves on the board of the Central Virginia Agrarian Commons and works closely with Chavis.
As Virginia s farms continue to cope with unstable economic markets, one operation is blazing a new trail for a more equitable and economically stable agricultural model. Established in 2019, the West Virginia-based New Roots Community Farm aims to provide resources and opportunities, both for producers and consumers. Susanna Wheeler, farm director of New Roots, said the group develops and transfers land to the Agrarian Commons, a nonprofit which permanently preserves land and leases it out to other farmers. .
Extreme precipitation events are becoming more common due to climate change. Environmental advocates and some officials warn that means more flooding, costing Virginia billions of dollars and threatening residents’ safety. Unless protection efforts receive proper funding soon, they warn, the problem will only get worse.
RICHMOND — Yvonne Rife was in the attic holding her dog Lucy as her Buchanan County home was swept off its foundation and carried a quarter of a mile by