Moving Mountains With the U.S. Farm Bill

By Rev. David Beckmann | November 13, 2006

New beginnings are sacred opportunities. These are the moments when the slate is wiped clean and once again, anything is possible. In our national life, the start of a new Congress is just such an opportunity. It is a chance to put small grudges and small thinking aside, to rededicate ourselves to working together to address the issues that people in this country really care about.

Research consistently shows that Americans care about addressing hunger and poverty at home and around the world. We believe it is wrong for a mother to have to choose, as too many in our country still do, between feeding her children and feeding herself. We believe it is wrong for a family to have to live, as hundreds of millions in our world still do, on less than $1 a day. And we believe - even those of us who generally want the government to play a smaller role in people’s lives believe - that our leaders must do more to help.

One of the most important things our new Congress can do to reduce hunger and poverty at home and abroad is to improve the U.S. farm bill. In 2007, the bill will be reauthorized, as it is only once every five years. Right now, the farm bill supports a small number of our nation’s farmers. It does little to help strengthen the economy in rural communities, where a disproportionate number of hungry Americans live. And U.S. farm policies depress prices for farmers and rural communities in developing countries.

A better farm bill would do more for families of modest means in rural areas and strengthen nutrition assistance to families who struggle to put food on the table. A better farm bill would also level the global playing field so that farming in developing countries could thrive, thereby raising incomes and opening new markets for U.S. products.

Jesus told his disciples, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." As leaders in the movement to end hunger, we know that a world in which all God's children have enough to eat is not impossible. I am hopeful that all our leaders will make good use of this new beginning. We can help them do it. If we have faith and if we work together, we can move mountains.