Small, Black-owned Farms Practicing Climate Farming

As part of National Public Radio’s week dedicated to coverage of food and climate, a story highlighted small, Black-owned farms in the Gulf South that are choosing crops and farming practices with the climate in mind. For example, Louisiana farmer Hilery Gobert grows diverse crops, utilizes cover crops, and produces rice using drip irrigation rather than flooding fields. Advocates of climate-smart farming say the practices deliver benefits to farmers and communities, in addition to their potential climate impact. Alcorn State University is one of the entities working to measure the extent of those benefits, as well as helping to educate farmers about the practices. The education effort also involves farmer cooperatives that are helping Black farmers access funding incentives for adopting climate-smart practices.