Entanglements of agency and statecraft: Examining the dual purpose of Black agricultural extension through Appalachian Kentucky archives

Abstract

Much of Kentucky's agricultural history is not well-known, especially for its Appalachian counties. Relatedly, Blackness in Appalachia has been understudied by scholars and written out of popular representations of the region, though many scholars have worked to address this shortcoming over the past several years. However, these theorizations have not extended to agriculture in Appalachia, which this study seeks to do through an analysis of Black-led extension as a site of Black history, agency, and possibilities while also serving as a site of discrimination and state violence.

Utilizing the archival materials of a Black agent in Appalachian Kentucky, this paper makes three contributions to Black food and agrarian geographies through examining Black extension through a geographical lens rather than simply a historical lens, siting this study in Appalachia, a region that has received limited attention within these fields and Black geographies broadly, and demonstrating how Black extension served as a site of agency and opportunity for Black rural residents through the critical infrastructure that it provided while also inscribing the state and capital onto Black farmers and rural residents through the implementation of scientized agriculture and human development.