Photo: Next City
Urban farmer Duron Chavis manages several prominent urban farms in Richmond, Virginia, and is also the board chairman of Central Virginia Agrarian Commons, a new nonprofit working to strengthen the region’s food systems by turning land over to Black farmers. Two years ago, the organization received an 80-acre land donation as a form of reparations from white Amelia County residents Callie and Dan Walker. Now, Chavis is working with the couple to turn their family land into a refuge for Black farmers and other farmers of color. The property will eventually become a multi-functional space where Black farmers can live, work and grow their agricultural enterprises — without needing to go into debt. Black farmers have long faced systemic barriers to land ownership and retention. At the height of Black land ownership in 1910, Black farmers owned 14% of the nation’s farmland – more than 16 million acres. Today, less than 1% of U.S. farmland is owned by Black farmers.
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