By Bob Katzen

Would create a special legislative commission to study and develop recommendations for supporting investments, policies and practices designed to “promote equity in agriculture for socially disadvantaged groups in the commonwealth that have been historically or systematically excluded or have had less access to resources and opportunities based on cultural, racial or ethnic prejudice.”

These groups would include, at a minimum, African Americans, Cape Verdeans, Hispanics, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, Caribbean Islanders, Native Americans and Alaskan natives.

“Property ownership is a leading source of intergenerational wealth accumulation,” said sponsor Sen. Jo Comerford (D-Northampton). “In the United States, white people have always had more access to land ownership than Black, Indigenous and People of Color. While we know these populations are significantly underrepresented among farm landowners, we do not have reliable data on who is receiving state grants and other state funding for agriculture.”