In this episode of Unconfined, author Brea Baker teases out the 20th century's great dispossession of Black farmers, and reports on a budding revival of African-American agrarianism.

In this episode of Unconfined, author Brea Baker teases out the 20th century's great dispossession of Black farmers, and reports on a budding revival of African-American agrarianism.

In this episode of Unconfined, author Brea Baker teases out the 20th century's great dispossession of Black farmers, and reports on a budding revival of African-American agrarianism.

Black to the Land

US consumers enjoy access to a veritable cornucopia of meat. We consume an annual average of more than 220 pounds of chicken, pork, and beef per person—one of the highest rates of carnivory in history. What makes it possible is a factory-like model of meat production that took root in Midwestern stockyards in the late 19th century and boomed after World War II. For decades, the transnational meatpacking giants that dominate US production have been exporting this model to countries across the globe. But it's not all about just widely available burgers, tacos, and nuggets. What are the model's downsides—the impacts on communities, workers, ecosystems, and public health? And are there better ways to farm animals? In Unconfined Podcast, veteran meat industry observers and CLF staffers Tom Philpott and Christine Grillo dig into those questions, interviewing the researchers, community organizers, journalists, and farmers documenting or experiencing the ills of our dominant mode of meat agriculture—and those who are exploring alternatives.

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Black to the Land

Black to the Land