Past farm bill subsidies exacerbated inequality---changes now are key to solve it.

It’s clear farm bill subsidies have created inequality for young and small land farmers like those that are part of the coalition. Over the last 25 years, more than 79% of federal farm subsidies went to just 10% of farms and individuals that qualify, according to a study by the Environmental Working Group.

Corilia Ortega, a council member in Taos, grows on less than an acre of land. Still, she said, that food supports herself and a few other community members.

She said it’s becoming more common for young farmers to grow on small plots of land like that, largely because people can’t afford to purchase huge properties.

“For many people, when we talk about food systems, agriculture, the mentality is these big ag lands — these big parcels that are 50 to hundreds of acres. And that’s truly a thing of the past,” she said. “I will never be able to buy 50 to 100 acres.”

And, she added, people of color and women have historically been discriminated against in accessing loans. Communities of color were also displaced from their land, affecting who owns property today.

“If you already have capital, if you already have an operation that you’ve inherited, you then have even more access to resources and funding mechanisms and loan programming,” Ortega said. “But that isn’t something that one individual has built. It’s a family legacy of many generations building that to exist in 2023.”

Ortega said being able to qualify for more grants or loans would make a big difference. She said the farm bill could address racial and gender inequality within these loan programs so more people can access land ownership.