Farm Security Administration (FSA)

Established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1937, the Farm Security Administration (FSA) provided relief to farmers who had been left impoverished by the drought and dust storms of the Dust Bowl and the financial devastation of the Great Depression. The agency resettled agricultural workers on new land and hired photographers to document their struggles. FSA photographers took over 65,000 pictures, which were frequently reproduced in publications to “introduce America to Americans” and encourage public support for rural rehabilitation, which was a program that provided aid and relocation assistance to struggling farmers. Importantly, the FSA’s photography division became one of the first large-scale projects to document the lives of African Americans.