Black Farmers Draw On Age-Old Ingenuity To Navigate COVID-19

'For over a century, Black farmers have faced challenges in securing federal and local funding to aid their farms in times of need and during crises. COVID-19 has been no different. From lack of access to information about coronavirus relief provisions for farmers to difficulty finding spaces to safely vend during the crisis, the pandemic has made obstacles even more stark. Some farmers and organizers are finding creative ways to address Black farmers’ needs, including creating and selling community-supported agriculture (CSA) boxes and continuing to offer space at the Triangle-based Black Farmers’ Market for produce vendors to safely sell their crops.  State of Things host Anita Rao talks to Melody Hunter-Pillion, a North Carolina State University public history doctoral student; Kendrick Ransome, a fourth-generation farmer at Golden Organic Farm in Pinetops, North Carolina; Samantha “Foxx” Winship, owner of Mother’s Finest Urban Farms in Winston-Salem; and Crystal Taylor, co-founder of the Black Farmers’ Market in Durham and Raleigh.'