Tennessee State University helps Black farmers address climate change - Tennessean

Tennessee State University helps Black farmers address climate change

Black farmers and climate change: TSU prioritizes addressing environmental challenges
Todd A. Price

Climate change has been hard to ignore this year. Temperatures stubbornly stay in the triple digits in Phoenix. Fires continue to burn across Canada. And the Atlantic Ocean is as warm as a bath.

Farmers' livelihoods depend on the weather. The Department of Agriculture under President Joe Biden has made environmentally friendly agriculture a priority with its Climate-Smart program. The Inflation Reduction Act passed in 2022, included $19.5 billion for Climate-Smart initiatives.

Tennessee State University's College of Agriculture has received Climate-Smart grants. But addressing climate change has been a priority at the school long before the current administration.

"That was part of my interest when I got here," said the College of Agriculture's Dean Chandra Reddy, who arrived in 2008. "We're going to create this whole school to be focused on climate change irrespective of what the USDA is doing."

For the last 15 years, Reddy has made sure that each new researcher hired by Tennessee State University, a historically Black land-grant university, makes climate change central to their work. The land-grant universities have a historic mission to advance agriculture through research and community outreach.

"How do we get ready for the day when some of our current crops may not do well in a higher temperature environment? If the temperatures go up, we need to have cows with different genetic material," Reddy said.

A long history of agricultural education

Land-grant universities were created by the 1862 Morrill Act, which was signed by President Abraham Lincoln.

The federal government gave states land, which could be sold to fund new universities. The schools were to focus on "practical" subjects like engineering and agriculture. Many flagship universities, like the University of Tennessee, are land-grant universities.

A second Morrill Act was passed in 1890, which required states to either admit Black students at their land-grant school or create separate institutions. The Southern states opted for separate institutions, creating schools like TSU, founded in 1912.

The historically Black land-grant schools are known as the 1890s for the year the act creating them was enacted.

The 1890s HBCUs have historically not received equal funding from states.

A 2021 report by the Tennessee Office of Legislative Budget Analysis found that over the last 60 years the state had underfunded TSU between $151 million to $544 million.

'Moral obligation': Tennessee State University underfunded by as much as $544 million, new report finds

The state committed to giving $250 million to make up for the years of underfunding. The state, under the 1890 Morrill Act, had an obligation to match federal funds provided to TSU.

"It's one-time money to improve infrastructure," Reddy said. "While we celebrate that big dollar amount, it did not come assigned to improve our research or outreach."

Among land-grant HBCUs or 1890s, TSU has one of the strongest agriculture schools in the country.

"We have the largest research program and outreach program among 1890s," Reddy said.

TSU, Reddy said, receives more competitive research grants from the USDA than any other 1890. The school also has extension agents, who work directly with farmers, in 60 of the state's 95 counties. TSU works closely with the University of Tennessee and counties to provide extension services.

Looking to the future

On average, Black farmers in America have less land than white farmers. They have also suffered from years of well-documented discrimination by the USDA.

Emmanuel C. Omondi, a Kenya-born professor at TSU who researches hemp farming, believes that 1890 schools have a special obligation to make climate change a priority.

"Historically underserved communities are likely to be more impacted by climate change," Omondi said. "Climate change is important for the survival of our clients."

Omondi also believes that 1890s, because of their long commitment to Black farmers, are in a better position to help those underserved communities adapt to climate change.

"Those minorities will listen to 1890s better than getting that information from other established universities, and the adoption of these methods will have a much bigger impact," he said.

In June, TSU received an $18 million grant from the USDA to provide scholarships for students studying agriculture. TSU was one of five schools across the country to be awarded the top level of funding.

When Reddy came to TSU, he had to entice students into the agriculture program by focusing on biotech or environmental sciences. Now, he sees more students who want to farm.

"They love agriculture. They love the environment. They love science," he said.

TSU wants to make sure those future farmers are ready for the challenges climate change will bring.