Land access among immigrant Latinx workers and farmers in the United States: racialization, invisibility, and possibilities for reform

Abstract This article looks at the conditions and challenges for immigrant Latinx workers and farmers in accessing farmland in the United States. As white farmers retire in large numbers, and competing interests look to buy up swaths of American farmland for consolidation, investment, and development, newer groups of farmers struggle with finding and purchasing land at affordable prices. In the context of this land market affordability gap, there is increasing interest among Latinx farmworkers and farmers to utilize their knowledge and experience and establish their own farm businesses, yet they are limited in their ability to purchase land. This article looks at the historic conditions of racialized inequality in U.S. agriculture, how Latinx farmers are left behind today, and what recommendations have been made to address this inequality, from policy, to market-based programs, to more systemic land reform. Starting with a discussion of the exclusion of Latinx and other immigrants of color from agrarian land ownership and ending with an assessment of current recommendations, this paper provides an overview of the struggles being faced by this promising group of U.S. agriculturalists.