Last Friday, five Oxfam Action Corps volunteers, pictured here, stopped by district offices of US Senators Klobuchar and Coleman to ask their staff members to keep Farm Bill reform a priority despite the current impasse. Our thanks to both offices; each kindly received us and were interested in why we feel a reduction in the Farm Bill's trade-distorting subsidies is important. An opportunity to alleviate poverty abroad while helping rural America through reducing these subsidies cannot be overlooked. A recent New York Times article reported on how a fairer farming environment in Malawi has meant the difference between abject poverty and relative prosperity.
The bipartisan Grassley-Dorgan amendment to the Farm Bill would allow this kind of opportunity to take root in more of the lesser-developed world. Senator Klobuchar supports this amendment. To date, Senator Coleman does not.The 2007 Farm Bill's fate remains unclear. Reuters reports, "The Senate could pass its $288 billion farm bill... by the end of next week under an agreement on Thursday that broke a month-long impasse." However, other sources are more skeptical on the Farm Bill reaching the floor this year. Every additional day is another opportunity to tell your friends and family about the significance of Farm Bill reform. Tell them to join you in asking our senators to support every measure to reduce trade-distorting subsidies by better investing in rural America.
More Farm Bill news:
Ballor & Nothstine in the Acton Institute, Farm Subsidies: Sustaining Dependency
Economist, The end of cheap food
Los Angeles Times, Farm bill affects more than just land and furrows
Reuters, US failing on Africa trade, investment
