Plight of Black Farmers in the Context of USDA Farm Loan Programs: A Research Agenda for the Future

Black farmers remain an underdeveloped topic in academic literature. This historical study used a historical research methodology to assess the plight of Black farmers in the context of United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) farm loan programs and offered an array of future research recommendations. We investigated the severity of the plight of Black farmers in the context of USDA farm loan programs with an emphasis on effective and responsive leadership in relation to four elements: 1) legislative initiatives, 2) policy initiatives, 3) USDA structure and delivery systems, and the 4) Pigford v. Glickman class action and consent decree. We identified research and development recommendations for the future, such as interviews to determine the perceptions of Black farmers pertaining to the current accessibility of USDA loans. This research agenda may better assist both scholars and advocates in supporting the steady rise of Black farmers in the U.S

Community Capital and Local Economic Development Efforts

Actions by local groups and leaders constitute an essential but poorly understood element of many rural economic development efforts. Previous studies suggest that local development efforts can influence community changes, but questions remain about why localities differ in economic development efforts. Drawing upon community capital framework and human ecological theory, the purpose of this research was to examine the effects of community capital on economic development efforts in rural communities. Hierarchical regression results indicate that social capital, cultural capital, built capital significantly predict economic development effort to develop recreation and tourism and human services. Despite that, only built capital and natural capital predict effort to develop local business and industry – a keystone of rural development. Hypothesis that community capitals would predict economic development efforts than would be predicted by ecological variables alone was borne out