Washington D.C., Apr 25, 2007 / 08:43 am
As Congress begins the work of reauthorizing the U.S. Farm Bill, more than a dozen Christian churches and faith-based organizations have banded together to form a Religious Working Group on the Farm Bill.
The coalition is urging Congress to adopt major changes to domestic agricultural policy, that they might help reduce hunger and poverty worldwide, as well as promote the livelihood of farmers and rural communities in the U.S. and abroad.
The Religious Working Group on the Farm Bill has developed legislative principles for farm-bill reform. They include:
- Increase investments that combat rural poverty and strengthen rural communities
- Strengthen and expand programs that reduce hunger and improve nutrition
- Strengthen and increase investment in policies that promote conservation and good stewardship of land
- Provide transitions for farmers to alternative forms of support that are more equitable and do not distort trade in ways that fuel hunger and poverty
- Protect the health and safety of farm workers
- Expand research related to alternative, clean and renewable forms of energy
- Improve and expand international food aid in ways that encourage local food security