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.