Mennonite
Central
Committee

MCC hosts Kansas consultation on globalization

By Susan Miller Balzer

NORTH NEWTON, Kan. — Participants in a MCC economic globalization consultation stressed the value of eating locally produced food and supporting measures to ensure producers at home and abroad are paid fairly.

The Dec. 3-4 consultation, held at Bethel College, North Newton, Kan., brought together about 35 farmers, economists, theologians and food and development advocates from Canada, the United States, Bangladesh and Kenya.

This consultation, the final in a series, focused on the impact of globalization on the United States and Canada. Presenters challenged participants to integrate faith, justice and global economic issues.

Anglican rector Cathy Campbell, of Winnipeg, Manitoba, offered a spiritual framework for the consultation, telling participants that "God’s manna food policy . . . means there is no need for hoarding or greed."

Presenters spoke about the globalization of agribusiness and how farms are becoming fewer, larger, more specialized, market-oriented and factory-like.

But specialization can hurt farmers — such as when the United States stops importing beef from Canada following a mad cow disease scare, Canadian farmers said. Some presenters suggested that farmers should diversify by finding a niche market, such as free-range chickens, bison or llamas, to help stay afloat financially.

Part of globalization’s impact is spreading new technology, which raises complex concerns. For each person praising that technology, another pointed out risks. For example, long-term effects of eating genetically modified grains aren’t known. But, noted Derek D’Silva, who has worked with MCC in agriculture in Bangladesh for decades, people in his home country would rather risk dying in 25 years from eating genetically modified food than starving now.

Presenters noted that agribusiness must cater to the desires of consumers in order to thrive — and so educating consumers to consider justice when shopping will help create a more sustainable world. Participants stressed changing the emphasis from supplying the world with cheap food — which often undermines small farmers everywhere — to addressing the need for employment and fair wages, both here and abroad, so that everyone can afford to buy nutritious food. Participants also spoke of the need to make nutritious food, including fresh fruits and vegetables, available to those on the lowest economic rungs in the United States and Canada.

On a practical level, participants discussed the value of buying fair trade coffee, even when it costs more, or paying a local farmer a premium for hormone-free beef and fresh vegetables. One person suggested thinking of the extra money paid for fairly traded food as "putting money into the offering."

The importance of locally produced food for local consumption was raised several times — an idea that fits closely with a new MCC cookbook, "Simply in Season," which focuses on eating local food in season and supports purchasing fairly traded products. The book is scheduled to be released in 2005.

Participants said they hoped the church would lead in education and advocacy for consumers and farmers and formulated suggestions for future action, including building relationships between consumers and producers at the local level.