This paper uses the frameworks of environmental justice and food sovereignty to trace the history of black farmers in the USA and the state of Michigan. It is even more unlikely for people to conjure up images of black farmers when they think of Michigan, yet blacks-despite declines in their numbers-have a long and compelling history of farming in the state. In 2015, Michigan lead the nation in the production of several categories of dry beans, blueberries, pickling cucumbers, tart cherries, and squash and is second leading producer of asparagus, all dry beans, carrots, celery, and Niagara grapes (National Agricultural Statistics Service 2016, p.

When one thinks of Michigan, the image that first comes to mind is not one of rural agriculture, yet Michigan is an important agricultural state in the USA. It also explores the connections between Michigan’s black farmers, southern black farmer cooperatives, and Detroit’s black consumers. The paper assesses how the farming experiences of blacks in Michigan compare to the experiences of black farmers elsewhere. The paper examines the use of cooperatives and other community-based organizations to help blacks respond to discrimination and environmental inequalities. The paper shows that the ability of blacks to own and operate farms has been negatively impacted by lack of access to credit, segregation, relegation to marginal and hazard-prone land, natural disasters, organized opposition to black land ownership, and systemic discrimination.

It analyzes land loss, the precipitous decline in the number of black farmers, and the strategies that blacks have used to counteract these phenomena. This historical analysis uses environmental justice and food sovereignty frameworks to examine the farming experiences of blacks in the USA generally, and more specifically in Michigan. Yet, for blacks, owning and retaining farmland has been a continuous challenge.

Blacks have been farming in the USA for about four centuries and in Michigan since the 1830s.

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