Session 1: Our Broken Food System can be Transformed

The prophesy of the book of Micah addresses both Israel and Judah. The prophet is critical of the leadership in these two kingdoms. In verse 3:11, he says that the leaders give judgment for a bribe, the priests teach for hire, and the prophets make predictions for money. Vulnerable people are being exploited.

Today in our nation, various special interests work to influence government decisions, often without regard to the needs of hungry and poor people. At times of economic crisis, we see cuts to vital safety net programs that help people stay out of poverty. Just like in Israel and Judah, the systems that support vulnerable people are broken.

Micah, like many other prophets, warns Israel and Judah that they will suffer consequences if they do not change their ways. In chapter four, after three chapters describing how the people will suffer, Micah offers a vision of a world transformed. All people will come to the Lord and “walk in his paths” (4:2). Nations will no longer fight each other, and their weapons will be turned into tools for agriculture. All people will sit under their own vine and fig tree without fear.

It is our responsibility as people of faith to share God’s vision of transformation with the world. It is a vision of a world where everyone has enough to eat, where everyone has a safe place to sleep, and where everyone can live at peace with one another. We are called to be God’s voice today. Like the biblical prophets of ancient times, we are called to be advocates who urge our leaders to do right and to act with justice.

Reflection Questions

1. Describe what the world could look like if God’s justice reigned. What’s present? What’s absent?

2. How does our current world compare to the world you just described? What’s broken and not working for vulnerable people?

3. In what ways do groups and individuals have power to change these patterns of brokenness? In what ways should God’s vision influence our advocacy?

Hunger Report Theme Summary

Our food system is broken, but it can be transformed! Many objectives shape our systems of agriculture, trade, energy, and immigration through what are sometimes conflicting and inconsistent policies. U.S. laws subsidize an approach to crop production that rewards quantity much more than nutritional value. These policies subsidize products people can’t eat, such as cotton and ethanol, in addition to encouraging the consumption of less nutritious foods.

Meanwhile, other policies undercut small scale farmers globally, while also making it difficult for low-income families in the United States to access healthy food. A desire for cheap food contributes to a demand for cheap farm labor. Farmers and farm workers need U.S. policy to provide a safety net and to support dignified, sustainable livelihoods. Policy options based around nutritious food and decent livelihoods would offer transformation. The Hunger Report shares some ways to get there.

Discussion Questions

1. What, in your opinion, currently works well in our food and agriculture system? What isn’t working well, particularly for poor and vulnerable people? What improvements could make the system work better?

2. In the process of transforming our food system, which people could be perceived as losers? How can we help ensure that they don’t lose their livelihoods?

Activities

1. Review “A World of Change since the Farm Bill” (Box i.2, page 17). Have members of your group restate these trends in their own words. Then, on newsprint or a flip-chart sheet, make three columns labeled “helpful,” “neutral,” and “unhelpful.” Put each trend in a column based on how helpful it is for hungry and poor people. Draw lines to connect items that seem to be related to each other. What could be done to reverse trends that are unhelpful for hungry and poor people?

2. Read “U.S. Agriculture Has to Become More Productive and Sustainable” (Box 1.1, page 26). Imagine your group has been tasked with identifying top concerns in the food and farm system. Name as many challenges as you can (even beyond what you read in the article). Discuss how you would prioritize which issues to address first. How might you group the various concerns? What further plans would you want to make to begin to work toward transformation? How might your group remain hopeful about the transformations that are possible, even while grappling with the enormity of this broken system?

3. As you conclude, pray for efforts to transform our nation’s food and farm system, and consider if there is something God might be calling you to do as a result of this conversation.