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Praise awaits you, O God
. . . . You care for the land and water it; you
enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled
with water to provide the people with grain, for
so you have ordained it. You drench its furrows
and level its ridges; you soften it with showers
and bless its crops. You crown the year with your
bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance.
The grasslands of the desert overflow; the hills
are clothed with gladness. The meadows are covered
with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain;
they shout for joy and sing. (Psalm 65:1,
9-13, New International Version)
For millennia, one of humankind’s most
basic ways of relating to the earth has been through
agriculture, the drawing of sustenance from the
created gift of the fruitful earth. Agricultural
technology has changed dramatically within
the past several decades. In the United States
today only a small proportion of the population
is directly employed in agriculture, but every
one of us is utterly dependent on those who raise
our food. Biotechnology raises profound moral
questions as humans gain the power to reshape
plant and animal life at the molecular level.
Food and farming continue to be charged with spiritual
and ethical meaning as we cultivate the earth,
shop in the supermarket, or sit down to table
with friends and family.
Justice for family farmers and agricultural
workers is a central concern for faith communities.
Agricultural issues are bound up with many other
concerns as well: consumption and sustainable
development, urban sprawl, health
impacts of pesticides, land use and property
rights, water supply and cleanliness,
climate change impacts, and wildlife.
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