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In 1910 black farmers owned around 16 million acres of the United States. Today it's just 2.9 million acres. A subsidy system that rewards the biggest and wealthiest farmers combined with a population shift from the rural south to the urban north has decimated the ranks of the men and women who tilled hard-won land.

That shift has created a disconnect with food and farming that Leroy Conish and his family are determined to bridge. He grows squash and other vegetables on a long, thin farm on the banks of the Mississippi between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. The nearest grocery store is many miles away and his neighbours struggle to get access to fresh, healthy food. Leroy sells much of his produce to local food banks but he's determined to make a long-term change, linking up with the local small farm support group, Sprout NOLA, to encourage young people from the neighbouring cities to grow their own food and eventually consider a full-time career in agriculture.

Helen Czerski stops for breakfast with Leroy and Gail Conish in the heart of Louisiana.

Producer: Alasdair Cross