A new report brings to light experiences of black people and people of colour in british farming
A new report has been released presenting findings on the experiences of Black and People of Colour (BPOC) in the British farming sector.
The report entitled Jumping Fences: Land Food and Racial Justice in British Farming draws on interviews which were carried out with sixteen people who are currently working in the agricultural sector or land-based work who identified as Black or as a Person of Colour.
A strong finding in this report is the isolation that many BPOC individuals feel within the British farming sector and rural communities. This ranged in source from racial bullying, a presumed incompetence as perceived by others, and estrangement from communities of the same heritage.
Project participants were also found to have experienced racial inequality within the British farming sector. Naomi Terry, lead researcher on the Jumping Fences project said:
“In meeting BPOC farmers around the country I came across a real range of experiences on farming cultures and rural Britain. Some people are experiencing overt racism, for example in the pub, on work exchange farms, or at agricultural university. Many people also experience the cumulative effects of microaggressions, and the impacts of working in isolation from their communities of heritage.”
The report names key recommendations to address the barriers for BPOC people within the farming sector. These include changing workplace culture on farms and in farming organisations, and creating more opportunities for access to land for farm work.
The report also recommends developing strategies of support for established and emergent BPOC farmers, and creating spaces and networks for knowledge exchange and healing.
Naomi adds:
“There is clearly a need for more financial support, access to land and opportunities for people from racialised backgrounds in farming, but this alone will not address deeply entrenched structural inequalities. We need to take actions which will encourage a shift in the narratives around who farming is for, and what it can look like.”
The Jumping Fences report is a joint project between the Ecological Land Cooperative ; Land in Our Names ; and the Landworkers’ Alliance
Read the full report: Jumping Fences
