International Fast for Justice at time of Food Price Crisis

With the unprecedented rise in food prices causing mass hunger around the world, Agricultural Missions, in coalition with churches, agrarian partners and allied organizations in the U.S. and abroad, will be participating in a 3-day Fast in Solidarity with the Famished of the World starting Friday May 23 and ending after dusk on Sunday May 25th. We will be fasting for 3 days corresponding to the 3 billion people now living under $2 per day.



Dozens of individuals and organizations are conferring on a common platform and preparing for the sacrifice and spiritual practice of going hungry for a meal, a day or the entire three days.  The fasters will also be reflecting and speaking out concerning the root causes and economic structures that have led to this tragic and worsening crisis, including so-called ‘free trade’ and structural adjustments imposed on the countries of the Global South, the food to ethanol corporate subsidies, the Farm Bill commodity subsidy structure and lack of grain reserves, not to mention documented speculation on the part of grain traders at a moment of record profits in conjunction with mass hunger.

Actions are already being confirmed in Louisville, Kentucky and in NewYork City to launch this fast and reach out to media on these structures of impoverishment and marginalization. In Louisville, KY, for example, fasters including people of faith, urban agriculturalists and others will be initiating their fast by gathering at the Mazzoli Federal Building at 11:30 a.m. Friday May 23 to Praise the NO vote by Junior Congressman John Yarmuth on the Peru-US Free Trade agreement, and to affirm efforts by the Community Farm Alliance and Sustainable Agriculture of Louisville and other actors to rebuild the local food economy of the region and to partner to provide healthy locally-produced food to low-income residents of the city.

In New York City, fasters will be joining a gathering organized by the Rainforest Action Network (RAN) to protest the egregious behavior of a large agribusiness, Bunge corporation, monopolizing and degrading land and resources for monocultural production of GMO soybeans in Brazil.  (andrea@ran.org <mailto:andrea@ran.org> tel: 415 659 0540 ) (May 23rd, 9 a.m. outside Sofitel Hotel, 44 W 44th St.) Others are planning to visit or send messages to Congresspersons or other elected officials.

To date organizations participating in fasting, supporting those fasting and/or coordinating in public education efforts about the food crisis include:  Agricultural Missions, Inc (AMI), the Oakland Institute (OI), the Community Farm Alliance (CFA), the Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA), the Kentucky Interfaith Taskforce on Latin America and the Caribbean (KITLAC), Sustainable Agriculture of Louisville (SAL), Siglo XXIII.