A Transformative Partnership between Socially and Historically Disadvantaged Farmers, 1890 Land Grant Institutions, and Walmart

Ensuring a sustainable future for socially and historically disadvantaged farmers (SHDFs) remains a central mission of many 1890 land grant universities. As major corporations adopt socially responsible and sustainable policies they are exploring new partnerships, including those with the aforementioned farmers and institutions. This article explores the opportunity presented by the partnership between Tuskegee University and Walmart during 2011, 2012, and 2013 that focused on assisting SHDFs to work together to expand their produce marketing opportunities to include large commercial retailers. This article provides perspective for the articles that follow in this issue of the Professional Agricultural Workers Journal (PAWJ). The articles focus specifically on microirrigation and solar powered pumps, integrated pest management, farm and food safety certification, challenges of forming the new cooperative, the role of Black women farmers, and progress made by the Sustainable Agriculture Consortium. Key Words: Sustainable Agriculture, Agricultural Cooperative, Small Farmers, Corporate Sustainabilit