Intern with Faith in Public Life
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
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Cultivating Justice: Faith and the Farm Bill
LATEST PRESS RELEASE: Religious Leaders to Congress: Vote for Real Farm Bill Reform
Every major religious tradition has something to say about food. From commands to feed the poor to strict dietary codes, food and faith have always been closely intertwined. It's not surprising then, that a coalition of faith groups have taken on the Farm Bill.
It's hard to name a more comprehensive piece of legislation. Every five years, Congress reauthorizes the Farm Bill, which touches almost every aspect of daily life and public policy; crops we eat, ethanol for automobiles, food stamps, domestic land conservation, international trade and extreme poverty in developing countries are all affected.
With such a broad scope, the Farm Bill has great potential to be a positive tool for combating poverty and promoting conservation in the U.S. and abroad. As the Farm Bill comes to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives this week, faith leaders are stepping up their campaign for real Farm Bill reform that promotes the common good, rather than the narrow interests of agribusiness.
For decades, the farm bill has poured millions of dollars in subsidies for farmers growing corn, wheat, cotton, rice and soybeans. Originally, these subsidies were envisioned to take some of the risk out of growing crops for small farmers struggling to make it in the dust bowl.
Today, however, the majority of of the payments go to the wealthiest growers and, faith leaders contend, the Farm Bill in its current form sets up systems that hurt small farmers and provides inadequate resources to nutrition programs.
The Religious Working Group on the Farm Bill, which includes all of the mainline Protestant denominations as well as the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Bread for the World, Church World Service, and others is calling for these specific changes:
--Reform the commodity program to significantly reduce payments that distort prices and supply in ways that violate U.S. commitments and make it harder for farmers in poor countries to feed their families.
--Reform U.S. farm policy to be more equitable, reducing payments to those who need them least and strengthening help to those who need them most, particularly socially disadvantaged farmers;
--Strengthen the food stamp program by increasing the level of benefits to reflect current costs of living; removing administrative barriers that keep poor and hungry people from accessing food stamps; and investing in programs that reach out to seniors, the sick, disabled and vulnerable families;
--Increase investment in rural development targeting communities with the greatest need, create new programs that assist rural entrepreneurs and promote small business development;
--Expand funding and access to conservation programs, in particular the Conservation Security Program for working farms which has effectively been eliminated in the Committee’s current legislative draft; and
--Strengthen and increase international food aid in ways that encourage local food security and ensure that the first Millennium Development Goal of reducing hunger by one half is achieved by 2015.
In many religions, food is not just sustenance, but a means of binding communities together and expressing cultural identities. In the same way, the Farm Bill is not just about farms, but reflects our nations values with regard to the health of our rural communities, our natural resources and our fellow citizens. The Religious Working Group on the Farm Bill is calling for legislation that values community over commodities and people over profit.
Resources:
Faith in Public Life Food Policy and Hunger Links
Oxfam Faith and the Farm Bill Page
Bread for the World
