Black Farmers | A Case For Reparations

In his most recent book, ‘The Confounding Island: Jamaica and the Postcolonial Predicament’ preeminent Harvard University sociologist Orlando Patterson seeks to make sense of the failures of Jamaica’s postcolonial democracy. He explores why the country has been unable to achieve broad economic growth and why its free elections and stable government have been unable to address violence and poverty. It even offers a new answer to a recurring question, one which is doing the rounds again as we bask in the glow of an amazing Olympics campaign – why are Jamaican runners so fast?

Jamaica’s successes and struggles expose something fundamental about the world in which we live. We see the central dilemmas of globalization, economic development, poverty reduction, and postcolonial politics thrown into sharp focus. Perhaps one of the most poignant themes is the exploration of the brutality of the island’s colonizers. Other countries suffered slavery, but even in the Caribbean there were stark differences. The British were unequivocal in their extreme exploitation of the island and willingness to import Africans as slaves to work the sugar plantations, coffee farms and cattle pens.

“More slaves were brought here than to all of North America. Imagine that! What happened to them?” Orlando Patterson asks his audience at the regional headquarters of the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus on November 29, 2019. “They died, they were worked to death, what I referred to as slow- motion genocide. By 1710, the US slave population was reproducing; the Jamaican slave population never reproduced. Of course, the Jamaicans didn’t take it lying down. Jamaica had the largest number of slave revolts than any other slave society. “You’ve heard of Haiti being described as the first successful slave revolt. Actually, that’s not quite accurate, and this is not to take away from the glory of the Haitian slave revolt. The first successful slave revolt was one of the first Maroon wars in 1650, when the British came very close to abandoning the island and sued for peace – the mighty British army sued for peace and came to terms, signing a treaty with what became later known as the Maroons.

For over a century, Jamaica was the most lucrative colony in the British Empire, its trade with Britain outstripping all of the North American colonies put together. It was also the most unequal place on the planet, far more so than the US south. In fact, the estimate was that the inequality was 20 times greater than the inequality between masters and slaves in the US south. 

Jamaica’s history of slavery, successes and struggles exposes something fundamental. As Patterson notes, the nature of the system employed in Jamaica is not incidental to the rise of capitalism, it is in fact, a critical factor in the rise of capitalism.  If we look closely at the Jamaican example, we see how the business of racism under the guise of globalization, economic development and poverty reduction has held back Black communities from Africa, to the Caribbean, to the United States. 400 years after the original sin, we are still struggling with exploitation, violence, control and loss of agency. It’s time for a new narrative which celebrates what we have achieved through farming, making it possible for us to achieve reparative justice by creating entrepreneurs using tech to transform farming and food systems. 

Havard Sociologist Orlando Patterson, his most recent book ‘The Confounding Island’ presents new theories to age old questions about slavery, colonialism and the true price of freedom

Photo Credit: http://scholar.harvard.edu

…the nature of the system employed in Jamaica is not incidental to the rise of capitalism, it is in fact, a critical factor in the rise of capitalism.

It is time to empower Black farmers so that they can lead in the plant-based market which is set to exceed $24 billion by 2025. If we combine this with the $31 billion projected spend on agri-tech including AI and machine learning in the next few years we’re looking at a $54 billion opportunity. The Caribbean which is ripe for the picking as a supplier of goods to this lifestyle. The region produces the kinds of culturally relevant leafy greens, root vegetables, peppers and spices that Black communities embracing healthy diets are looking for. We have an opportunity, through the application of artificial intelligence and machine learning to create opportunities for reparative action for our farmers.

In 2019, the Congressional Black Caucus foundation published an excellent detailed report into Black health and wealth which examines the link between Income, Health, and Wealth for African Americans. It makes reference to the high ratio of our people living in food deserts. Even here in Jamaica, we see diets once filled with wholesome local fresh produce replaced with imported processed fats and additives due to the high availability and low price of this kind of food. This has contributed to a high obesity rate in our communities – 40% in America – it is causing high cases of hypertension, heart disease and diabetes. It explains why Covid finds fertile ground in Black bodies and means Black women are three times more likely than white men to die from the virus.

It explains why Covid finds fertile ground in Black bodies and means Black women are three times more likely than white men to die from the virus.

With Miami positioned as the US tech hub for Latin American and the Caribbean it’s a great opportunity for us to be competitive with Indian and Israeli start-ups leading the sector.

Food deserts are areas with predominantly low-income residents where access to affordable nutrient dense food is limited. In measurable terms, a neighborhood

that is located more than one mile from a supermarket is considered a food desert. Similarly, a food desert can also be defined according to “the ratio of the distance to a grocery store relative to the distance to a fast food restaurant”. So in communities where fast food restaurants are predominant, while food options may be plentiful, the poor quality of the food options and lack of healthy food sources creates a food desert because residents are less likely to make healthy food decisions.

One of the positive outcomes of this pandemic is we’re seeing more awareness around the need for healthy diets and regular exercise to counter this. We’re also seeing many more Black people choosing a vegan lifestyle and influencers like Tabitha Brown, the Williams sisters, Lewis Hamilton and Kyrie Irving are dispelling some of the myths around this diet. With Miami positioned as the US tech hub for Latin America and the Caribbean it’s a great opportunity for us to be competitive with Indian and Israeli start-ups leading the sector. However here in the Caribbean many of us have yet to make a digital switchover. We’re still thinking in terms of brick and mortar rather than looking at the IP that drives Google algorithms and gives a company value.

US Congresswoman Plaskett has highlighted the need for US leadership in agricultural innovation, particularly in the field of research and development. With the kind of $40 billion investment in research and development proposed, it means companies like ours can be a partner in creating jobs, developing climate-smart practices for farmers and increasing global food security. This flows into the work Congresswoman Clarke is doing as the leader of the smart cities caucus. My company targets the use of nitrogen fertilizers in crop cultivation but what are the urbanized equivalents? With a vibrant research and development sector Black entrepreneurs could be examining how AI can be leveraged to reduce the carbon footprint of our communities.

With access to dedicated funding in the range proposed by Congresswoman Plaskett we have an opportunity to use tech to solve problems that have plagued our communities for generations. With action like this Black communities can build wealth in what is now a $54 billion opportunity to lead in the new frontier of food security and agri-tech.

Kelly Silvera is CEO of Fawma, an AI firm working to connect entrepreneurs with markets and networks. She writes on issues of reparative justice and tech. Kelly advocates for opportunities through entrepreneurship.

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