Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Land and Power: Sustainable Agriculture and African Americans


College Park, MD – Black American agricultural experiences are grounded in unique cultural, historical and ecological experiences. They range from the agronomic traditions brought from Africa and the experience of slavery to sharecropping, tenant farming and the story of migration to the industrial North, to contemporary concerns about foodsystems issues. To understand these forces is to better understand the values, challenges and opportunities shared by America’s black farmers today.

Land and Power: Sustainable Agriculture and African Americans, a new collection of essays published by SARE, places the cultural traditions and historical circumstances of African American farmers squarely in the forefront of today’s sustainable agriculture movement. The works collected in Land and Power arise from a spirited 2007 conference at Tuskegee University, where more than 100 researchers, educators and activists gathered to share their insights and opinions on the black American agricultural experience.

Land and Power features a selection of the presentations, posters, discussions, and performances that made up this extraordinary, joyous event. The papers in this volume are like eclectic, diversified family members: The authors covered a wide range of topics, including George Washington Carver’s environmental vision, African American women and urban conservation, and trends in the preservation of rural property. Taken together, these essays are a starting point for ongoing dialogue on some of the forces shaping American agriculture.

Download Land and Power: Sustainable Agriculture and African Americans for free at http://sare.org/publications/landandpower.htm. To order print copies ($10.00 plus $5.95 s/h) visit www.sare.org/WebStore, call 301/374-9696 or send check or money order to SARE Outreach, PO Box 753, Waldorf, Maryland 20604-0753. (Please specify title requested when ordering by mail.) Discounts are available on orders of 10 or more. Allow 3-4 weeks for delivery. Call 301/374-9696 for more information on bulk, rush or international shipments.

Editors: Contact Sean McGovern or visit www.sare.org/press to request review copies or download cover or profile images.

Published by SARE Outreach for the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program and features work supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), USDA. SARE’s mission is to advance - to the whole of American agriculture - innovations that improve profitability, stewardship and quality of life by investing in groundbreaking research and education. SARE Outreach operates under cooperative agreements with the University of Maryland and the University of Vermont to develop and disseminate information about sustainable agriculture. For more information visit www.sare.org.

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