Oxfam America Teams Up with Faith Groups on Farm Bill Reform

Posted: 13 September 2007

by Anna Kramer

As part of broader coalition, alliance highlights issues of fairness and equality.

The day before the House of Representatives voted on the 2007 Farm Bill last July, Oxfam America and our allies held a press conference on Capitol Hill.

Among the environmental groups, nutrition advocates, and anti-poverty organizations in attendance were a number of faith groups, including Bread for the World and the Progressive National Baptist Convention. They came to send an urgent message to Congress: Reform the Farm Bill so that it better protects the environment, feeds the hungry, and gives farmers a chance to make a decent living.

As a secular organization, Oxfam America does not endorse any particular faith. But when our goals align with those of religious organizations, we often join forces. During our ongoing campaign to reform the 2007 Farm Bill, Oxfam and groups like Christian social justice organization Sojourners have found common ground around issues of fairness and equality. Like Oxfam, these faith groups support poor farmers in the US and overseas, and have seen the impacts of the Farm Bill firsthand.

In a statement preceding the press conference in July, Rev. Jim Wallis, executive director of Sojourners, described the Farm Bill this way.

It’s an “unjust policy that props up the wealthiest farmers and landowners at the expense of struggling family farms and people living in poverty at home and abroad,” he said. “Congress is faced with a real test of moral leadership” in advocating for real reform.

Messages like these travel further when both Oxfam and our faith allies promote them. To this end, we share our communications with the media. We hold joint events and trainings. And we encourage people to take action. So far, members of the Religious Working Group on the Farm Bill (a coalition of faith groups, and an Oxfam ally) have written 85,000 letters to Congress, made more than 8,000 phone calls, and mobilized action teams in 38 states.

By combining our efforts, Oxfam and the faith groups can explain why the Farm Bill matters – in the different styles best-suited for our audiences. Oxfam developed a faith-based version of our Oxfam America Hunger Banquet for use by religious organizations. And Church World Service, a cooperative ministry of 25 Protestant, Orthodox, and Anglican denominations, recently published “Sowing Justice for Family Farmers Everywhere,” a paper based on Oxfam America’s “Fairness in the Fields: A Vision for the 2007 Farm Bill.” The paper combines Oxfam’s research and policy knowledge with a faith-based call to action.

By strategizing together, sharing information, learnings, and resources, Oxfam and our faith allies can broaden the reach of our work. Plus, our religious friends add a unique voice to the discussion around Farm Bill reform.

“Our faith-based allies bring a strong moral voice to the Farm Bill debate,” said Elizabeth Carty, a senior organizer at Oxfam. “They can speak to Congress from a different perspective.”