Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0009-0008-2574-2955

Date Available

1-5-2025

Year of Publication

2025

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

College

Agriculture, Food and Environment

Department/School/Program

Entomology

Faculty

David Gonthier

Faculty

Charles Fox

Abstract

In recent years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has faced renewed scrutiny for documented discrimination against Black farmers, yet far less attention has focused on its century-old partner in public service delivery, the Cooperative Extension Service (CES). This gap is especially notable considering 1) federal parity mandates extant since 1972 in response to significant disparities between Black and White constituents and staff,2) public commitments to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in 2020 and, 3) the contributions of Black leaders at the origins of CES, at Tuskegee University in the late nineteenth century. Using the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service (KYCES) as a case-study, this thesis assembles and analyzes evidence regarding the state of parity in CES for Black constituents and farmers. In Chapter 1, I outlined the historical context and theoretical lens that can be used to explain the present conjuncture facing Black farmers. In Chapter 2, I used institutional records from the Kentucky Extension Reporting System (2018–2023) to quantify the state and analyze the drivers of racial parity in KYCES at the state, county and land-grant levels. Chapter 2 findings reveal that racial disparities persisted in KYCES despite longstanding federal parity mandates and contemporary DEI commitments. In Chapter 3, I conducted in-depth interviews to uncover the qualities of Kentucky Black farmers’ experiences and perspectives in relation to KYCES. Chapter 3 findings suggest that racial disparities in KYCES stem from the same systematic structures of segregation that birthed the land-grant system and the necessity for parity mandates in the first place. In Chapter 4, I facilitated on-farm trials with Kentucky Black Farmers to assess the efficacy of mesotunnels as an insect pest-management tactic in various environments, and to gauge their adoptability. Chapter 4 results validate the efficacy and adoptability of row covers in leafy green crops but designate the need for program and subsidies to lower the cost barrier for small-scale farmers, especially those committed to the limitation of pesticides. In Chapter 5, I conducted a reflexive analysis with farmer-participants regarding the process and impact of the on-farm trials. Chapter 5 findings designate the Tuskegeean Extension model as a credible guide into the future of on-farm trials, Extension, composed of consistent outreach, bidirectional learning, hands-on teaching and care for underserved communities.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2025.545

Funding Information

This study was supported by the United States Department of Agricultural National Needs Fellowship [USDA-NIFA-HEP-010775] in 2023

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