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"We, as members of the planetary community, recognize and respect the sacredness and interdependence of all creation. We are aware that when we lose reverence for and awe of creation, as well as an understanding of our place as partners within the Earth community, our sense of God and of ourselves is diminished."
- IHM 1994 Enactment on
Eco-Justice |
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The Issue
The health of a community is closely related to the health of the soil on which it depends. Cropland, a third of the thin layer of topsoil that covers much of the Earth's land surface, is losing topsoil through erosion faster than new soil is forming. Without conservation practices, marginal soils tend to marginalize the people who depend on them. The poor quality of soil, not just the lack of land ownership, contributes to world poverty. Over grazing, over plowing and over cutting are accelerating the process in which fertile lands are turned into deserts. Prime cropland is being paved over for roads, highways and parking lots - a total of 3.9 million miles of roads in the United States alone.
Rural communities have been devastated by a declining farm economy. Due to the loss of family farms, the new threat of factory farms can hurt the environment and well-being of communities. The necessary, rigorous examination of the multiplicity of these issues within our society has not kept pace with the development and application of the technology related to genetically modified organisms. Rigorous examination of the issues is required and it is essential to involve a broad base of all the stakeholders within the world's food and agricultural systems, public policy makers and the scientific and faith communities.
According to the USDA, the U.S. has lost over five million farms since 1935. Family farms are going out of business at break-neck speed, causing rural communities to deteriorate. The U.S. loses two acres of farmland each minute as cities and suburbs spread into the surrounding communities. By buying locally and organically grown produce, you get access healthier, tastier food while helping keep farmers on the land, and helping preserve open spaces and counteract urban sprawl.
The survival of indigenous peoples around the world has always been determined by "a sense of place," an intimate understanding of the distinctive climate, soils, water sources, plants and animals of the places where they live. Our mobile society operates with little relationship to the environment around us, creating cities and towns that are similar in appearance and feel. Wendell Berry, America's best-known bioregionalist, says, "If you don't know where you are, you don't know who you are." With a sense of place, your identity is defined - to a significant extent - by the natural features of the place where you live.
IHMs in Action
If you don't have Adobe Reader, you can download the latest version here.
St. Mary Organic Farm Community Garden
Prayer and Reflection Materials
Spiritual Resources - The National Catholic Rural Life Conference
Resources
Learn more about Tending_Land - An annotated bibliography (PDF, 48 KB)
Action You Can Take
Local Harvest - Find out where to buy locally grown and organic produce near you.
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