Combating Black Land Loss | February 28, 2021

Fresh & Local:

Combating Black Land Loss

It has been a pleasure to dive into Black history this past month with you and to specifically examine Black History Month in the context of Market Umbrella’s and Crescent City Farmers Market’s work supporting the unique food culture of Southeast Louisiana. For the last month we have shared reading lists related to Black history and food, recipes from local Black chefs, bios of Black farmers and food makers, and more. However, as we conclude the month of February and reflect back on the topics we have highlighted for Black History Month, it is clear both that the past is always woven into the present and that there is still a great deal of work to be done to ensure that our food system is equitable and accessible for Black people.

Whether we are looking at the health disparities Black people experience and their ties to systemic racism, how the prison system replicates the agricultural model of slavery, and the shrinking number of Black farmers in America, the legacy of discrimination continues to have negative impacts. At the beginning of the month we discussed how Black farmers have historically been denied rights to access land, to resources, and to fair markets in which to sell their products, and how those inequities have led to a steep decline in the number of Black farmers. Unfortunately, federal efforts to address these injustices are being challenged; The New York Times reported just this past week that a great deal of uncertainty still exists around the fate of the $4 billion in debt relief for farmers of color initially promised by the Biden Administration last year. After being told that debts would be forgiven, many Black farmers have now found themselves in a “legal limbo” as the issue moves through the courts. One way to help support advocacy efforts for Black farmers is to support advocacy organizations that focus on the needs of black farmers and food producers. Here are just three of many organizations you can connect with:

• The Federation Of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund, an advocacy group that for 55 years has worked to support Black farmers, landowners and cooperatives.
• National Black Food & Justice Alliance, a coalition of Black-led organizations aimed at developing Black leadership, supporting Black communities, organizing for Black self-determination, and building institutions for Black food sovereignty & liberation.
• F.A.R.M.S. is a non-profit that helps provide legal services to Black farmers to help combat Black land loss.

Picks of the Week:

BHM Book List: Race &
Agricultural History Books

Looking to deepen your understanding of the history of agriculture and the impact Black farmers, organizers, and activists have had on the food system? Check out this booklist:

• In the Shadow of Slavery: Africa’s Botanical Legacy in the Atlantic World, by Judith Carney and Richard Nicholas Rosomoff
• Dispossession: Discrimination against African American Farmers in the Age of Civil Rights, by Peter Daniel
• Freedom Farmers: Agricultural Resistance and the Black Freedom Movement, by Monica White
• Working the Roots: Over 400 Years of Traditional African American Healing by Michele Elizabeth Lee
• Black Rice: The African Origins of Rice Cultivation in the Americas, by Judith A. Carney

Calling All Kids! Join the Marketeers!!

We are excited to reintroduce our Marketeers Club. Marketeers club is a free membership for market shoppers under 12. Members are invited to participate in monthly market activities and will receive a special token of appreciation on their birthday. To become a member is easy, fill out this simple membership form. Please join us for our kickoff event, Sunday March 6th at the Sunday Crescent City Farmers Market in New Orleans City Park, Tad Gormley Stadium, 8:00 am - Noon.

Music at Market: March Line-up

Vendor of the Week:

Indian Springs Farmers Association

Indian Springs Farmers Association (ISFA) is a joint venture of 30+ small Black-owned farms from Mississippi that collaborate in growing and distributing their produce. First formed in 1976 to help African American farmers sell vegetables to a wider market, ISFA has become a long-time vendor with CCFM, bringing a rich array of in-season veggies to market each week. This time of year you’ll see a lot of greens and sweet potatoes at their table! Additionally, ISFA is often featured in the CCFM home delivery box during this time of year. Learn more about the cooperative’s organizer and revered Mississippi farmer, Ben Burkett, along with the history of the ISFA cooperative in this video.

Recipes of the Week:

Poulet Yassa

Chef Serigne Mbaye is no stranger to CCFM as a frequent shopper and friend to many of our vendors. You may know Serigne as the Chef de Cuisine at the Mosquito Supper Club restaurant and the chef behind Dakar Nola, a modern Senegalese pop up restaurant. Born in the United States, but raised and educated largely in Senegal, Chef Serigne’s cooking intimately explores the connections between the foods of Louisiana and Senegal. With a focus on highlighting the bounty of local ingredients, Serigne has had the pleasure of collaborating with farmers and chefs throughout Southeast Louisiana. Knowing the farmers personally has helped him stay creative in that they make recommendations of new crops to try and share what harvests will be brought to market soon - he vouches that local farmers are the backbone of his work as a chef!

Chef Serigne Mbaye’s recipe for Poulet Yassa or Chicken Yassa

What’s your favorite dish to make after visiting the Crescent City Farmers Market? Share your recipes with us on Instagram or Facebook and it might be featured in our weekly newsletter!

Mardi Gras Market Update

No Tuesday Market