Restore Rural Communities & Family Farms..

Submitted by Sarah Gonzales on October 13, 2005 - 6:41am. :: |

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WHEREAS agribusiness monopolies now control all aspects of U.S. agriculture, with 20 Fortune 500 corporations subsidized by USDA and thus receiving most federal farm subsidies; and

WHEREAS U.S. farm trade surplus is in deep decline, with low prices for agricultural commodities and unfair market competition; and

WHEREAS small farms, in contrast to agribusiness, provide diversity of owners, crops landscapes, cultures and traditions and more economic opportunities for a new generation of farmers; and

WHEREAS, 33,000 small farmers were driven out of business in the first seven years of NAFTA; and

WHEREAS, retail consumers depend on food labeling to find out where and how food has been raised and processed and if it is from genetically modified organisms (GMO's); therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the next President restore agriculture and rural communities in the United States by:
* Breaking up agribusiness monopolies by enforcing antitrust laws and shifting USDA funding toward small family farms,
* Canceling trade agreements that have allowed a few multinational food corporations to control food production,
* Supporting farmer owned cooperatives and reinvesting in rural communities with funding for regional processing facilities, marketing assistance, farm to school programs, farm renewable energy programs, and Farmer's Markets,
* Supporting higher commodity prices for small farm products,
* Protecting the integrity of the new federal Organic Standard, passing the Country of Origin labeling law, and preventing sales of illegal food imports

Original written by Sheril Smith for the Texans for Kucinch campaign, Jan. 2004. Revised by K. Kain, Feb. 2008


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