Policy & Advocacy
Farm Bill Backgrounder, February 2012
Farm Bill Backgrounder, February 2012
Food production is essential for life, and ending hunger is the “first concrete expression of the right to life.” This principle shapes the Catholic community’s engagement on the Farm Bill, a comprehensive law setting U.S. agriculture policy every five to six years.
The 2008 Farm Bill (P.L. 110-246) improved food assistance, conservation, and rural development but failed to target subsidies fairly. Its minimum-price guarantees and loan deficiency payments largely favor large commodity producers, leaving small and moderate family farms behind. The 2012 reauthorization offers a chance to reform supports, strengthen SNAP and international food security, promote sustainable stewardship, and aid vulnerable farmers at home and abroad.
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps) and emergency food assistance
- International food aid for famine, disasters, and development
- Conservation programs for responsible land stewardship
- Redirected subsidies to reward small/moderate farms instead of affluent producers
- Rural development investments to support farmers and communities
Agricultural policy should ensure basic nutrition for all and provide a decent life for farmers and farmworkers. Programs must focus on the most vulnerable farmers, including minority-owned operations, and promote a global food system offering basic nutrition everywhere. Subsidies and supports should be limited, transparent, and tied to environmentally sound, sustainable farming practices.
Action Steps for Advocates
Remain engaged in the Farm Bill debate and urge your Members of Congress to:
- Support SNAP and emergency food assistance programs
- Back food aid for hungry communities abroad and development efforts
- Increase aid to developing countries for agricultural research, infrastructure, and market access
- Enforce and strengthen payment limits to focus supports on small and medium farms
- Reward farmers who practice responsible conservation of land and waterways
- Monitor USDA implementation of provisions for beginning and disadvantaged farmers
- Eliminate subsidy practices that violate trade rules or harm poor farmers overseas
- Review food-for-fuel subsidies to prioritize poor people’s access to nutritious food and sustainable agriculture
The Catholic partnership of USCCB, National Catholic Rural Life Conference, Catholic Charities USA, and Catholic Relief Services will work together to press these priorities, linking faith to policy in defense of the poor, farmers, and creation.