FAITH, FOOD & the ENVIRONMENT is an initiative exploring the state of agriculture and asks whether the nations of the world are on a sustainable path in how food and agricultural goods are produced — and if social and environmental concerns are pushed to the side in the name of industrial efficiency.

Agriculture faces a constant challenge: how to produce a sufficient supply of food while ensuring the vitality of the natural environment for generations to come. Public policy and market mechanisms set the stage, but a moral set of principles can guide those in their agricultural calling for the good of all.

We believe agricultural leaders ought to consider more than the bottom line of agribusiness profitability: they must also uphold the dignity of human work and the integrity of creation.

If the global food system is on the wrong track – that is, if food production is not sustainable and global markets are not providing food for all – then changes must be made. As history has proven, religious inspiration is a tremendous motivator for change.

So we ask: Can agricultural leadership and society in general agree on a set of principles regarding the common good and stewardship of creation? We believe so — and therefore seek to articulate a set of moral guidelines for the vocation of the agriculture in the 21st century.