Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

African people were stolen from their land and forced into slavery in the US. Once free, they continued to have their land stolen and ownership rights violated. In 1920, 14% of farm owners were Black, holding 15 million acres of farmland. Since then, the USDA has systematically discriminated against Black farmers and failed to include them equally in farm programs and loans. This, along with influences such as urban migration and foreclosure, has led to drastic Black farmland loss. Today, Black farmers own only about 1% of US farmland. Denial of access to land ownership is one of many ways Black people in the US have been excluded from accumulating wealth, seen today in the 13:1 wealth gap between median white and Black families. The present analysis contributes to the research on the discrimination Black people have experienced by exploring two questions:

Where have Black farmers lost land?

What is the wealth, in farmland value, that Black people have been excluded from accumulating?

Since 1920, Black farmland ownership has declined, along with the possibility for wealth accumulation. White farmers, conversely, have retained farmland ownership, and the wealth and power that accumulates with it. While it cannot be known that every Black farmer would have chosen to stay on their land if they’d had access to the same supports as white farmers, there is still a notable racial discrepancy in farmland ownership today. In 2012, Black farm operators nationwide held approximately $51 billion, as compared to over $4.3 trillion held by white farm operators. The sum of Black-owned farmland in 1920 would have a value of over $185 billion today. By the metrics used in this analysis, if Black farm owners had retained ownership of their land, they would have accumulated over $120 billion. Lost wealth is concentrated in the southeastern states, where Black farmland ownership was previously highest. The 11 southeastern states alone total nearly $90 billion lost. By putting a value on and location to where wealth has been denied, this analysis can be used as a tool in “The Case for Reparations.”