Resource Library
The Congressional Research Service’s “The Pigford Cases: USDA Settlement of Discrimination Suits by Black Farmers.” Tadlock Cowan and Jody Feder, 2013. This report discusses a series of successful discrimination suits against the USDA filed by black farmers, hispanic farmers, women farmers, and Native American farmers.
http://nationalaglawcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/assets/crs/RS20430.pdf
USDA’s “Discrimination Lawsuits.” Outreach and Advocacy Division of the National Resources Conservation Service. This document offers a much briefer summary of discrimination suits brought against the USDA.
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs141p2_015583.pdf
USDA’s “Independent Assessment of the Delivery of Technical and Financial Assistance: Civil Rights Assessment.” Jackson Lewis LLP, 2011. This report assesses the USDA’s discriminatory distribution of federal assistance to farmers. http://www.federationsoutherncoop.com/pigford/research/Civil_Rights_Assessment_Executive_Summary.pdf
Food Chain Workers Alliance’s “The Hands That Feed Us Challenges and Opportunities for Workers along the Food Chain.” Saru Jayaraman, 2012. This report discusses labor issues in the food industry.
http://foodchainworkers.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Hands-That-Feed-Us-Report.pdf
US Farm Bill Fairness Initiative’s “Contemporary Analysis of Racial Discrimination Against Rural Farmers by the USDA.” Amber Orozco and Alexandria Ward, 2016. This report analyzes discrimination that has persisted in the wake of the Pigford lawsuits. http://static1.squarespace.com/static/51624bdce4b058e82d8a2faf/t/572bb6a31d07c0c02000760d/1462482599972/Contemporary+Analysis+of+Racial+Discrimination+Aganist+Rural+Farmers+by+the+USDA+(Ward+and+Orozco+2016)+(2).pdf
Oxfam’s “Shut Out:How US farm programs fail minority farmers.” 2007. This report examines the disparate effects of the 2008 Farm Bill across racial groups, arguing that the legislation broke its promise to help small, socially disadvantaged, and beginning farmers.
https://www.oxfamamerica.org/static/media/files/shut-out.pdf
The Applied Research Center’s “The Color of Food.” Yvonne Yen Liu and Dominique Apollon, 2011. This paper argues for a broadening of the “good food movement” to include labor rights and protections. https://www.raceforward.org/sites/default/files/downloads/food_justice_021611_F.pdf