As a person of faith I am deeply concerned about the health of our communities and of the earth. Our nation's food and farm polices have a fundamental impact on the quality of lives at home and around the world. I urge you to support a full, multi-year re-authorization of the farm bill and to thoughtfully consider the good that this legislation could do by alleviating hunger and malnutrition, supporting small farmers, and protecting the earth.
Specifically, I ask you to address hunger in our community locally by protecting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program from cuts and harmful structural changes that would increase hunger in our nation and globally by sustaining robust International food aid. As the world's largest provider of International food aid, the United States must lead the way in improving food quality to maximize the nutritional benefit.
Please support vibrant farms and strong communities by funding programs that are critical in developing our next generation of farmers, such as the Farmers Market Promotion Program, which provides new markets for small and mid-sized farmers in suburbs and cities, offering consumers the opportunity to support local producers and giving people in vulnerable communities greater access to fresh food. Similarly, for communities around the world, I urge Congress to reform international food aid by purchasing more of the food in the areas where it is consumed. The Local and Regional Procurement Program can help more hungry people for the same cost, support rural development in low-income countries and increase global food security.
Finally, I urge you to protect the earth by strengthening policies and programs in the farm bill that promote conservation of soil and water and protect creation from environmental degradation. One important way to do that is by protecting funding for conservation programs, particularly those for working lands such as the Conservation Stewardship Program.
Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to your response."