The Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access Program, funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, granted $300 million to roughly 50 projects nationwide in 2023 for five-year contracts. 

The funding was intended to address long-standing barriers to land ownership, particularly for minority and tribal farmers who have historically faced discrimination in access to credit and financial aid. 

The move comes amid a sweeping policy shift at USDA under Secretary Brooke Rollins, who has directed the agency to scale back or eliminate DEI-related programs and grants. 

Since 2025, USDA has terminated or reviewed hundreds of millions of dollars in awards tied to diversity or climate-related initiatives, arguing the programs divert resources from farmers and impose ideological priorities. 

The canceled initiative was designed to help farmers navigate the costly process of acquiring land, often through partnerships with nonprofit groups and tribal organizations that provide technical assistance, financing support, and education. 

Such programs are often viewed as critical for new and historically disadvantaged farmers seeking to enter or expand in agriculture, where land ownership remains a major barrier to wealth-building. 

The USDA has a documented history of discrimination against minority farmers, including black farmers who were denied loans and subsidies for decades, contributing to significant land loss. Settlements such as the landmark Pigford v. Glickman case acknowledged systemic bias within the agency, particularly in the loan process for black farmers. 

Farming groups and advocacy organizations have warned that pulling funding from nonprofit groups and tribal partners will reduce land access and hurt communities that rely on small farmers, at a time when many small farmers are already struggling with rising costs. 

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The administration, however, has defended the broader rollback of DEI initiatives as necessary to refocus federal spending on what it describes as core agricultural priorities. The USDA previously said it aims to ensure taxpayer dollars are used directly to support farmers rather than intermediary programs. 

The decision follows other recent USDA cuts, including the cancellation of more than $1 billion in programs that helped schools and food banks purchase food from local farms, and the review of hundreds of millions of dollars in conservation projects tied to climate and equity goals.