I am not a farmer, but I eat food! Also, I am aware that farmers have a huge role to play in not only feeding us and are also in a position to improve the health of our whole planet.
The Farm Bill is a huge bipartisan piece of legislation that has been renewed for one-year extensions since 2023. Normally, the bill has been extended for 5 years since the 1930s. This important piece of legislation includes subsidies for farmers, resources for the SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), policies and resources for conservation and
transitioning to regenerative agriculture, and other rural development programs.
The proposed budget that Congress is currently struggling with contains massive cuts to SNAP. This will result in many families that have been getting by being thrown into “Food Insecurity,” the new jargon that describes individuals and families who do not have the resources for an adequate diet. There are other provisions that stand to hurt farmers.
Other provisions in the proposed budget support the cause of more climate-friendly and health-preserving farming strategies. It encourages techniques that require fewer chemicals and, like “no-till farming,” less fossil fuel use. Many farmers are already making use of these strategies of sustainable or regenerative agriculture. Those provisions should be celebrated and encouraged.
A farmer-led coalition, the European Alliance for Regenerative Agriculture, conducted extensive research involving 78 farms in 14 countries covering 7,000 hectares between 2020 and 2023. They discovered that regenerative systems, conservation agriculture, and organic farming are yielding only 1% less than traditional methods in terms of kilocalories and proteins, while using 62% less synthetic nitrogen fertilizer and 76% less pesticides per hectare.
(https://www.eitfood.eu/news/earas-landmark-research-project)
I hope many of you who are farmers and all of us who depend upon you will explore the Farm Bill provisions and engage in conversation with fellow farmers and with your legislators to advocate for policies which are good for farmers, for hungry people, and the earth.
Rev. Dr. Aline Russell
Written on behalf of the Public Witness Team
