The heartland of America. Those "amber waves of grain." The Breadbasket of the World. A field of cotton, white as snow. These are iconic images of the United States, fittingly. Farmers and rural communities have always served and provided for this country and its people. The Lord's Prayer, at the heart of Christian faith, includes the appeal that no one should go hungry. Sharing daily bread and the abundant life is what Jesus did, and asks us to do. Love for neighbor is as important as love for God.
In 2007, the U.S. Congress is expected to reauthorize (or renew) the farm bill. This piece of legislation is about farms and farmers, but its scope is even broader than that. It touches everyone in this country—everyone who eats, and especially those who struggle to have enough to eat. Even people outside the United States feel its impact. The farm bill includes vital nutrition safety nets that our government provides for those most in need. It is only renewed every five years, so this is a critical opportunity to fight hunger in the United States and around the world.
Across this country, through Bread for the World's 2007 Offering of Letters, people of faith and conscience will be speaking out for important changes in the farm bill. With much-needed improvements, the farm bill can provide better and broader support for U.S. farmers, strengthen communities in rural America, help hungry people in this country afford a sufficient and nutritious diet, and support the efforts of small-scale farmers in developing countries to sell their crops and feed their families—all things that the current farm bill falls short of doing.
If we want fields ripe for harvest, we must first sow the seeds. Let’s get busy sowing. Seeds of Change: Help Farmers. End Hunger.
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