Delta and Providence Cooperative Farms
Encyclopedia
The Delta and Providence Cooperative Farms were started in Bolivar County, Mississippi
, in 1936; and Holmes County, Mississippi
, in 1939, respectively. The farms were founded and run by missionary evangelist and author Sherwood Eddy
, and Reverend Sam H. Franklin, with the goal of helping southern sharecroppers out of their economic plight (caused in part by side effects of the New Deal
's Agricultural Adjustment Administration). The cooperatives were organized around four principles: efficiency in production and economy in finance through the cooperative principle
, participation in building a socialized economy of abundance, inter-racial justice, and realistic religion as a social dynamic. In the early stages, many of the first cooperative members at the Delta Cooperative Farm were sharecroppers from eastern Arkansas
who had been evicted following a strike
.
Because the farms were committed to economic equality among races, all cooperative members were to receive equal pay for equal work
. Agricultural operations included growing cotton
, dairy and beef
farms, a pasteurizing plant, and a saw mill. The cooperatives also provided a number of social and other services to members and the surrounding communities, including a cooperative store, a credit union, a medical clinic, educational programs, a library, religious services, and summer work camps for students.
Due to several factors, including the tense political climate of the 1950s and poor cotton sales at Providence, cooperative efforts were abandoned around 1956, and pieces of the land were sold off to members.
Bolivar County, Mississippi
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 40,633 people, 13,776 households, and 9,725 families residing in the county. The population density was 46 people per square mile . There were 14,939 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile...
, in 1936; and Holmes County, Mississippi
Holmes County, Mississippi
-National protected areas:*Hillside National Wildlife Refuge *Mathews Brake National Wildlife Refuge *Morgan Brake National Wildlife Refuge*Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge -Demographics:...
, in 1939, respectively. The farms were founded and run by missionary evangelist and author Sherwood Eddy
Sherwood Eddy
Sherwood Eddy was an American Protestant missionary, author, administrator and educator. He was born George Sherwood Eddy on January 19, 1871 to George Alfred Eddy and Margaret Louise Nolan at Leavenworth, Kansas. He attended Phillips Andover Academy, graduated from Yale University in 1891 and...
, and Reverend Sam H. Franklin, with the goal of helping southern sharecroppers out of their economic plight (caused in part by side effects of the New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
's Agricultural Adjustment Administration). The cooperatives were organized around four principles: efficiency in production and economy in finance through the cooperative principle
Cooperative principle
In social science generally and linguistics specifically, the cooperative principle describes how people interact with one another. As phrased by Paul Grice, who introduced it, it states, "Make your contribution such as it is required, at the stage at which it occurs, by the accepted purpose or...
, participation in building a socialized economy of abundance, inter-racial justice, and realistic religion as a social dynamic. In the early stages, many of the first cooperative members at the Delta Cooperative Farm were sharecroppers from eastern Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
who had been evicted following a strike
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
.
Because the farms were committed to economic equality among races, all cooperative members were to receive equal pay for equal work
Equal pay for equal work
Equal pay for equal work is the concept that individuals doing the same work should receive the same remuneration. In America, for example, the law states that "employers may not pay unequal wages to men and women who perform jobs that require substantially equal skill, effort and responsibility,...
. Agricultural operations included growing cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
, dairy and beef
Beef
Beef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle. Beef can be harvested from cows, bulls, heifers or steers. It is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of the Middle East , Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Europe and the United States, and is also important in...
farms, a pasteurizing plant, and a saw mill. The cooperatives also provided a number of social and other services to members and the surrounding communities, including a cooperative store, a credit union, a medical clinic, educational programs, a library, religious services, and summer work camps for students.
Due to several factors, including the tense political climate of the 1950s and poor cotton sales at Providence, cooperative efforts were abandoned around 1956, and pieces of the land were sold off to members.
External links
- Finding aid to the Delta and Providence Cooperative Farm Records in the Southern Historical CollectionSouthern Historical CollectionThe Southern Historical Collection is a repository of distinct archival collections at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill which document the culture and history of the American South...
at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - Photographs of the Delta Providence Farm by Dorothea Lange, from the Library of Congress