WHEATON-The 21st century version of the proposed farm bill has shifted away from its mostly rural roots and broadened its reach in urban and suburban America. Those living on the fringes as well as the upper class share a stake in the outcome of the 2007 farm bill.
From the perspective of Bob Gronski, policy coordinator for the National Catholic Rural Life Center in Des Moines, Iowa, Congressional response to the farm bill is as weighty an issue as Social Security reform. Interest in the bill has been growing for the last 20- to-30 years. In a July 12 telephone interview with Ann Piasecki, coordinator for the Wheaton Franciscan Office of Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC), he explained that with the advent of the Internet and the bounty of media outlets, consumer education on matters of health care have given way to consideration of global justice initiatives in regard to food, shelter and economics. The new century has given birth to “a critical mass” that’s more savvy about the interrelationship between farming, economics and the environment, said Gronski. As the spotlight hones in on the multiple aspects of life and lifestyles touched by the farm bill, the viability of agriculture as an industry and its related branches have been awarded a seat at the head of the Congressional appropriations table in terms of importance.
Credit for seeding a responsible farm bill loaded with a hybrid of pragmatic and ethical issues that range from overall public health to agricultural conservation goes to a wave of populist activism. Attached to a multi-billion price tag is a bill that has been called upon to do everything from sustaining rural lifestyles by balancing agricultural subsidies and developing fresh venues for farmers’ markets. The farm bill has even been touted as a vehicle responsible for driving strategic arrows into the heart of childhood obesity. Nutrition-minded advocates of farm bill reform are determined to challenge the nation to modify its eating habits in a way that reflects a health lifestyle.
Aside from the additional implications of conservation or ecology and separate from the social welfare aspects of the Food Stamps Program, all of which derive their existence from the farm bill--members of U.S. House Agricultural Appropriations Committee are riding a rail that supports federal subsidies for small-scale commodities farmers in the Midwest while recognizing the fairness in requests by specialty farmers in the cultivation of fruits and vegetables. California’s Gov. Arnold Swarzenager and others from produce producing states want their share of the pie as well. Essentially, said Gronski, specialty crop farmers believe the opportunity is ripe for picking out their own form of federal funding assistance. Instead of relying on traditional subsidies, they’re clamoring for assistance in marketing and promotional programs along with an expansion of community development plans designed to bring healthy foods to the poor in urban regions, said Gronski.
Meanwhile, the meat of discussions held July 24-25 with policy analysts for Network and Bread for the World was seasoned with salt-of-the earth-style ethical practices when it comes to the distribution of federal subsidies to farmers and consideration for the larger population of rural poor. In the long-run, it makes practical sense to shore up lagging rural economies in the United States as well those in developing countries, said Todd Post, spokesperson for the nonprofit organization Bread for the World. For one thing, the poor are forced to exist on a diet of less expensive high-calorie, high-fat foods which lead frequently to diabetes, obesity, elevated cholesterol levels and heart trouble to name a few medical maladies. Rhetorically speaking, he asked, “Who pays for that? Taxpayers do through Medicare.” One way or another, Americans are footing the bill for those who suffer the chief burdens of an oppressive economy.
Sister Simone Campbell, executive director at Network, a national Catholic Lobby organization, said change is hard to come by. Commodity farming and dependence on subsidies is entrenched in modern agriculture. While its roots go back to the Great Depression in the 1930s, federal subsidies no longer make it into the hands of low-acreage farmers. And on a global scale, a justice outlook in terms of the agriculture industry takes into account the economic impact of crops exportation on small family-run farms from Kenya to Mexico and from Guatemala to South Africa. American’s policy of subsidizing farmers based on the amount of acreage they own cries out for reform, according to Sister Campbell. Not only is the system of subsidy lopsided in favor of mega farms instead of the family farmer it was first designed to assist in times of crisis, the ramifications of exporting excess crops overseas are felt by the most vulnerable population. Individual families operating small-scale farms are losing their source of income, she said.
The solution, she said, can be realized by adding a regular dose of Catholic social teaching and mixing it in with the seed and fertilizer—the result would be a fruitful harvest and a reasonable profit margin for the farmer. Speaking of U.S. policies on agriculture, Sister Campbell said, “Subsidies need to change because they distort overseas trade.” Local farmers overseas can’t compete with the prices of excess crops from the United States that get dumped on their markets. Significant price reductions of U.S. crops completely undercut the thin profit margin that local farmers depend on. In the end, the small farmer can’t earn a living.
Summing up the situation in Congress, Catholic Relief Services stated: “No matter what shape the farm bill ultimately takes, it needs to reflect the social teachings of the Church—the dignity of human life.” SEE RELATED STORY TO “Kind-Flake reform fails to attract sufficient support; hope remains in the Senate.”
To take action, visit, Bread for the World www.bread.org
National Catholic Rural Life Coalition www.ncrlc.com
Farm & Food Policy Project www.farmandfoodproject.org
Sustainable Agriculture Coalition www.sustainableagriculturecoalition.org
National Family Farm Coalition www.nffc.net
National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture www.agmatters.net
NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby
www.networklobby.org/issues/alsoofinterest/FarmBill.htm
NETWORK's Messages for U.S. Food and Farm Policy