A Portrait of American Farmers

Abstract

First paragraphs:

There is an agricultural renaissance of sorts taking place that can be seen in the rising sales of organic food, the sprouting of urban gardens throughout major cities, and the growing legion of locavores. While this surge of interest in what we eat and where it comes from is good for our health and communities, criticism that alternative food systems are elitist and inaccessible has tinged conversations around the growing good-food movement. Indeed, all too often the story of this movement is told only through white voices.

Natasha Bowens' The Color of Food provides a window through which we can see a fuller picture of agriculture in the United States. The reader accompanies Bowens as she crisscrosses the country, revealing the many farmers and communities of color dedicated to their land, food sovereignty, and way of life. The book is a product of Bowens' travels across 15,000 miles (24,140 km) and 16 states to interview farmers of color and to unpack the often complicated emotions related to land ownership, farming, and the exploitation and oppression that has frequently been linked to agriculture....