Ujamaa Farmer Collective has recently successfully secured 1.25 million dollars in assistance from the state of California to assist black farmers in acquiring the land they require to expand their enterprises. Providing this cash is essential in redressing the historical inequalities in land ownership that black farmers have experienced.
Nelson Hawkins, Nathaniel Brown, and Keith Hudson are black farmers who founded the non-profit organization Ujamaa Farmer Collective to assert cooperative land ownership and support historically underserved farmers.
People of color who are farmers now own less than 2% of all farmland in the United States. Even yet, a farm in West Sacramento known as We Grow Farms, which provides inhabitants of the surrounding area with much-required vegetables, is now contending with the possibility that their leased land would be used to construct homes.
The Ujamaa Farmer Collective intends to use the $1.25 million in money allotted to them by the California legislative body in 2022 to purchase property in Yolo County, California, to solve the problem. The land will be subdivided into smaller parcels ranging from one half-acre to five total acres each. This enables several farms to function independently while simultaneously pooling their resources.
Ujamaa, which translates to “extended family” in Swahili, is an economic model that emphasizes cooperation and welcomes all participants. Hawkins said in an interview with Because of Them, We May that their objective is to “elevate everybody’s potential so [we] can all thrive.”
Ujamaa’s leadership comprises black farmers who have been disadvantaged in their ability to acquire land ownership throughout history. This sets it apart from other agricultural cooperatives. This effort seeks to re-distribute opportunities to African-American farmers, highlight the voices of African-American farmers, and establish a more resilient community.
