King and Cochrane: The Technological Treadmill and Racial Inequity in US Agriculture

Between 1920 and 1969, the number of Black farmers in the US decreased from 14% of all operators to 4%. Using Martin Luther King Jr.’s critique of agricultural policy and Willard Cochrane’s theory of the technological treadmill, we explore how racial discrimination was linked to policies that led to structural change in US agriculture. We discuss three areas of policy, land, education, and financial assistance, and how policy in these areas contributed to worsening conditions for Black farmers between 1920 and 1970. We then discuss how these policy areas are framed in today’s policy environment and offer some future directions for research.