Theses and Dissertations

ORCID

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6816-4293

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

Thompson, Diego

Committee Member

Leap, Braden T.

Committee Member

Johnson, Kecia

Date of Degree

5-12-2023

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Open Access

Major

Sociology

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.)

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Department of Sociology

Abstract

The population of Black farmers in the U.S. has declined to 2% of farmers in the U.S. because of institutional racism, land dispossession, heir’s property, and youth’s disinterest in farming. Most works on Black farmers have focused on racism, and heirs’ property, but little is known about the influence of race, gender, and inheritance on Black farmers’ experience. To understand this, I asked: what are the contemporary challenges associated with farming among Black farmers in Mississippi? How do race, gender, and inheritance influence the experiences of Black farmers? And how do Black farmers cope with their farming challenges? Twenty farmers in Mississippi were interviewed using semi-structured questions, and data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings shows that farming is a ‘retirement haven.’ Interviewees experience “closed door” to resources. Farming is gendered, and heirs’ property limits Black farmers to small acreages. Cooperative provides support for Black farmers.

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