FoodTank interviews Natasha Bowens, a woman of color farmer and community activist, about her new book “The Color of Food: Stories of Race, Resilience and Farming.” Illustrating the story of Black, Latino, Asian and Indigenous farmers through story-telling, photography and oral history, Bowen, aims to rectify the absence of farmers of color and lack of diversity in organic and local food movements. The intersection of food and race in the United States have a long and troubling history of slavery and oppression. This powerful book aims to redefine the agrarian story of people of color by showing how it is inspired by a legacy of wisdom of the land. Bowen shows how barriers exist, such as, a lack of access to land, capital and markets but farmers of color have been successful in working outside the system and putting community first with concepts like cooperative farms. Photo credit: FoodTank
