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"The ELCA and the Farm Bill" Brochure Text
Download "The ELCA and the Farm
Bill" Brochure
"Agriculture is basic to the survival and security of people
throughout the world. Through the calling of agriculture, farmers
produce the grain for our daily bread and the rest of our food
supply."
Sufficient, Sustainable Livelihood for All (1999)
"Sufficiency urges us to care for arable land so that sufficient
food and fiber continue to be available to meet human needs. We
affirm, therefore, the many stewards of the land who have been and
are conserving the good earth that the Lord has given us."
Caring for Creation (1993)
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has a history
of working for agricultural policy that supports farms and farmers,
helps rural communities, protects the earth from environmental
degradation, and ensures an abundant supply of food for all. Our
church policies, as outlined in the ELCA's social statements, compel
us to work for an end to hunger, both in the United States and
around the globe; to protect God’s creation; and to support the
livelihood of farmers and rural communities.
The U.S. Congress will act in 2007 to draft and pass a new Farm
Bill that will govern food and agricultural policy for years to
come. The Farm Bill establishes a broad range of federal hunger,
farm and conservation programs and is the basis for millions of
dollars in annual funding for programs as diverse as Food Stamps,
the Conservation Reserve Program, and farm commodity payments.
Issues that will be considered by Congress as they begin to
draft a new farm bill include:
- Funding for federal food and nutrition programs
including Food Stamps and other programs intended to address
hunger in the U.S. and abroad.
"Resolved…that the ELCA in all of its expressions make ending
hunger a core conviction for this church." Churchwide Assembly
Hunger Resolution (2005)
- The future of farm conservation programs, including the
Conservation Reserve Program, the Conservation Security Program
for working farms, and other programs intended to promote good
stewardship of farmland.
"We call for…sustainable agricultural practices that protect and
restore the regenerative capacities of the land, rather than
practices that deplete the land." Sufficient, Sustainable
Livelihood for All ELCA Social Statement (1999)
- Opportunities for rural economic growth, including the
development of new farm markets, such as that for locally and
sustainably produced foods, and new farm products, such as
biofuels.
"Resolved...to call all members and congregations of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to…support family farmers
through advocacy for just legislation that protects family farms,
the land, and the small towns they make possible." Churchwide
Assembly Action CA99.03.09 (1999)
- Ways to encourage and enable beginning farmers and ranchers
as the current generation of farmers and ranchers ages and
retires.
"We call for…greater entry level opportunities for the next
generation of family farmers." Sufficient, Sustainable Livelihood
for All ELCA Social Statement (1999)
- The impact of federal farm support programs, such as
the commodities support program, on food supplies and agriculture
around the globe—and in particular on farmers in developing
nations—and the relationship between U.S. trade obligations and
domestic farm support programs.
"We call for scrutiny of how specific policies and practices
affect people and nations that are the poorest, and changes to make
policies of economic growth, trade and investment more beneficial to
those who are poor." Sufficient, Sustainable Livelihood for All
(1999)
"We call for…adequate prices for agricultural products so that
farmers can be compensated fairly for their labor and production
costs." Sufficient, Sustainable Livelihood for All ELCA
Social Statement (1999)
- Funding levels for all Farm Bill programs in a time of
limited federal budget resources.
Make Your Voice Heard
The ELCA Washington Office has set up an electronic forum to
allow Lutherans to say what they think about farm policy. The online
discussion will be hosted on LutherLink, an online network
maintained by the ELCA. Visit
www.lutherlink.org/topic/farmbill/ to sign up for LutherLink and
participate in the discussion.
Become an Advocate
The ELCA Washington Office is committed to keeping members of the
ELCA up-to-date on Farm Bill legislative developments, and to
providing opportunities for Lutherans to make their voices heard in
Congress. Our e-Advocacy Network makes it easy to advocate for
peace, justice and care of creation. By signing up to be an
e-Advocate, you can keep up with the decisions being made in
federal, state, and local government and write your elected
officials about these important issues. To sign up, go to
www.elca.org/advocacy and
click on “Join the e-Advocacy Network.”
Join with the growing number of people in your community working
to see hunger, land conservation, and rural poverty addressed in the
2007 Farm Bill. Sign up for Faith Farm Teams, a collaborative
program between the five mainline, Protestant denominations calling
for reform on the 2007 Farm Bill, at
www.faithfarmteams.com .
Contact
For more information about ELCA farm policy and advocacy, please
contact:
Mary Minette
Director of Environmental and Rural Policy
mary.minette@elca.org
ELCA Washington Office
122 C Street NW, Suite 125
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 783-7507
Web: www.elca.org/advocacy
Download "The ELCA and the Farm
Bill" Brochure
Learn More
Farm
Bill Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the Farm Bill?
- What are subsidies and commodities?
- What solutions does the Farm Bill offer
in addressing hunger in this country?
- How does the Farm Bill address
conservation and protection of land?
- How does U.S. farm policy impact farmers
at home and around the globe?
- What progress has the Farm Bill made in
building a stronger rural America?
- What voice does the Lutheran church lend
to discussion and debate about the Farm Bill?
Download "The ELCA and the Farm
Bill" Brochure
Hunger and the Farm
Bill Fact Sheet (text) (pdf
)
Religious Working Group on the
Farm Bill Statement of Principles
Get Involved
Join Faith Farm Teams
Join the ELCA Farm Bill
online discussion on LutherLink
(If you are not yet a member of LutherLink, you can
register here.)
June 2007
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