2007 marks the reauthorization of the farm bill, a
critical piece of legislation that touches everyone in this country – especially those who struggle to have enough to eat.
Under the current farm bill, financial support for farmers is skewed to the largest growers. Resources are diverted away from rural development, and farmers in the developing world are being undercut.
Beyond farm policy, the farm bill provides for our country’s nutrition assistance programs - the nation’s first line of defense against hunger. Over 35 million Americans, including more than 12 million children, live in households that struggle to put food on the table. Yet, not everyone who is hungry is getting help from our nutrition programs.
This farm bill can be made to better serve those who need help most: farmers who struggle to get by, rural communities - where 20 percent of children live in poverty, hungry families in both urban and rural areas and struggling farmers in developing countries.
With adequate funding for key sections, the farm bill would:
- Make sure hungry families in the U.S. receive the food assistance they need.
- Help generate new jobs and strengthen small businesses in rural communities.
- Better target financial support to farm families of modest means.
- Level the playing field for poor farmers overseas.
- Operate food aid programs that work quickly and efficiently in international emergencies.
This bill is only renewed once every five years. Let Congress know it’s time to fix the farm bill! Dear Senator/Congressmember:
U.S. food and farm policy impacts not just farmers and growers. It also affects hunger and poverty in the United States and around the world. As Congress prepares to reauthorize the farm bill, please urge your colleagues on the Agriculture Committee to reform the farm bill to increase its capacity to reduce hunger and poverty.
Congress should make changes in the commodity payment programs so the system can provide more targeted and equitable support for U.S. farmers; strengthen communities in rural America; provide an adequate, nutritious diet for hungry people in this country; and remove obstacles to poor farmers in developing countries working to earn their way out of poverty.
[Your comment here]
Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address]
