U.S. CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS
2007 Farm Bill Backgrounder

BRINGING THE GOOD NEWS TO A BROKEN WORLD
2007 Catholic Social Ministry Gathering / Washington, DC / February 11-14, 2007

Every year in mid-February, Catholic leaders from across the country come to Washington to urge decision-makers to work for justice and peace. Each year a set of issues are identified that ask for our legislators’ special attention. As Catholics, we advocate for policies that demonstrate respect for human life and dignity and that help build justice and peace. A key issue at the Social Ministry Gathering for 2007 is reauthorization of the U.S. Farm Bill. The Department of Social Development and World Peace of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops developed the following information on this legislation.

For people of faith, food production is unlike any other sector of the economy precisely because it is necessary for life itself. This is the particular lens which shapes our engagement on the Farm Bill, which comes up for renewal every five or six years and sets U.S. policy in a number of key areas:
Programs in support of certain farm commodity crops
Food Stamps and emergency food assistance programs
Conservation programs that promote responsible stewardship of the land
Rural Development infrastructure and investments
Food Aid for hungry and distressed communities overseas

Over the next few months, there will be renewed discussion about how U.S. farm policies affect domestic farmers, food producers, and food consumers. The current programs often mismatch needs and resources, leaving out those who need it the most. The changes taking place in U.S. farm communities require that a new Farm Bill support more effectively and fairly those who make our food; build rural communities; and ensure that no one goes hungry.

The new Congress is also facing other challenges due to the changing nature of U.S. agriculture in a global economy, the need for sources of energy that are agriculture-based to address U.S. dependency on oil and the opportunity to promote rural development. Global trade talks around agriculture also seek compliance of U.S. farm programs with international trade rules. As the U.S. seeks to gain access to overseas markets, developing countries are asking the U.S. to cut its agricultural subsidies that, many argue, promote overproduction and harm poor-country farmers.

Half the world’s population relies on agriculture to make a living. Most poor or extremely poor people around the globe (i.e. those living on less that $2 or $1 per day) live in rural areas, so agriculture is a primary means for alleviating poverty.

Congress must reauthorize the Farm Bill this year. Senate and House Agriculture Committees have signaled they would like to have a bill introduced by the end of August. As Committee hearings on the shape of the next Farm Bill intensify, it will be important for those concerned with poverty to engage in this debate.

USCCB POSITION

The primary goals of agricultural policies should be providing food for all people and providing a decent life for farmers and farmworkers in this country and abroad. A key measure of every agricultural program and legislative initiative is whether it helps the most vulnerable farmers, farmworkers, and their families and whether it contributes to a global food system that provides basic nutrition for all. USCCB support policies and programs that encourage rural development, promoting and maintaining the culture and values of rural communities.

Limited government resources for subsidies and other forms of support should be targeted to small and moderate-sized farms, especially minority-owned farms, to help them through difficult times caused by changes in global agricultural markets or weather patterns that destroy crops. Agricultural subsidies often go to a few large producers, while smaller family farms struggle to survive. Rather than simply rewarding production, which can lead to surpluses and falling prices, government resources should reward environmentally sound and sustainable farming practices.

"The primary goals of agricultural policies should be providing food for all people and reducing poverty among farmers and farmworkers in this country and abroad. A key measure of every agricultural program and legislative initiative is whether it helps the most vulnerable farmers, farmworkers, and their families and whether it contributes to a global food system that provides basic nutrition for all."

[For I Was Hungry: Catholic Reflections on Food, Farmers and Farmworkers, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2003]

BUILDING A MORE JUST FRAMEWORK

Reauthorization of the Farm Bill presents an opportunity to reshape our broken agricultural policies to build a more just framework that better serves rural communities and small and moderate-size family farms in the U.S., promotes good stewardship of the land, overcomes hunger here and abroad, and helps vulnerable farmers and their families in developing countries:

Strengthening and Sustaining Rural Communities:
We must invest in rural development programs, promoting and maintaining the culture and values of rural communities. Congress should consider a wide range of rural economic development strategies, including: assistance to help new farmers and ranchers; investment in education, training and telecommunications access; and fostering entrepreneurship. As Congress considers expanding renewable energy programs, priorities should include making sure rural communities share the benefit and preserving the local environment.

Improving the Food Stamp Program:
The Food Stamp program is our nation’s first line of defense against hunger, helping over 26 million low-income people put food on the table. The bishops have long supported strengthening the domestic food assistance programs to ensure that no one in America goes hungry or suffers malnutrition. Among the priorities for Farm Bill reauthorization are ending the five-year waiting period for adult legal immigrants before they can receive Food Stamps, increasing benefit levels to reflect higher food costs (average Food Stamp benefit level is $1 per person per meal), and improving outreach and enrollment so the millions of eligible families not yet enrolled can get help.

Fostering Stewardship of the Land:
Protecting God’s creation must be a central goal of agricultural policies. Congress should seek to promote soil conservation, improve water quality, protect wildlife, and maintain biodiversity. Government resources should be targeted to farmers and ranchers that use environmentally sound agricultural practices. We should strengthen and improve programs that provide financial and technical assistance to promote conservation and environmentally sound practices, and that retire environmentally sensitive lands. These include Conservation Security Program, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and the Conservation Reserve Program.

Re-evaluating Agriculture Support Programs:
Last year approximately $22 billion was spent on agriculture subsidies, which apply to only a limited number of crops leaving many farmers with no assistance. Agricultural subsidies often go to a few large producers, while smaller family farms struggle to survive. Limited government resources should be targeted to small and moderate-sized farms, especially minority-owned farms and farmers of limited means, to help them through difficult times caused by changes in global agricultural markets or weather patterns that destroy crops. Rather than simply rewarding production, which can lead to surpluses and falling prices, government resources should reward environmentally sound and sustainable farming practices. Subsidy programs can also have distorting effects on international commodities markets that violate our international trade obligations and make it harder for farmers in developing nations make living.

Safe Living and Working Conditions for Farmworkers:
Agricultural labor involves some of the most dangerous jobs in the United States, with workers exposed to harsh working conditions, pesticides and other chemicals, and long hours of labor-intensive work. Congress should strengthen pesticide protection, training and reporting programs, as well as programs providing adequate housing and training for seasonal farmworkers.

Fighting Hunger Overseas:
Approximately 850 million people worldwide are considered food insecure, meaning they do not have access to sufficient food to meet their needs for a healthy life. The Farm Bill should continue to provide for the use of U.S. commodities to help combat food insecurity around the world. In addition, such commodities can provide an important source of long-term development programming in such areas as stimulating local agriculture expansion, supporting school feeding programs, as well as an important source of support for those impacted by HIV/AIDS and other vulnerable populations.

For further information on this USCCB position, contact the Department of Social Development and World Peace at 202-541-3380 or sdwpmail@usccb.org. The U.S. Bishops, with partners National Catholic Rural Life Conference, Catholic Charities USA and Catholic Relief Services, will work towards these policy priorities for the 2007 Farm Bill.


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