from CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO online
Calling farmers to share bounty
December 4th, 2008
By Rick DelVecchio
California growers can provide direct aid to farmers in poor countries and help ease the global food crisis, under a pioneering Catholic Relief Services effort supported by Catholic parishes and interfaith partners.
The Foods Resource Bank raises money by dedicating a share of a U.S. farm, ranch or agribusiness's profits to aid a growing farrm or ranch project overseas. The donor business commits a portion of its proceeds. For their part, faith congregations agree to raise money to cover the donor's operating costs and therefore maximize the boon for the recipient.
CRS has long-established FRB projects in the Midwest, working in concert with 14 other faith organizations to aid recipients in Central America, Africa and elsewhere. In 2007 over 200 U.S. FRB growing projects supported 52 programs in 32 countries.
Expanding the program to California and other Western states is the inspiration of Joe Symkowick, a Diocese of Sacramento deacon and Partnerships and Advocacy Officer for CRS' West Region.
"For example, a farmer may buy seed or labor or rent equipment or invest in an irrigation system to be able to bring a crop to harvest," Symkowick wrote in an article. "A parish or other organization will hold a fund-raising event that connects thematically to the project - a 'planting' or 'harvest' festival for example. "Also, in order to yield an even bigger deposit into the project, the farmer's suppliers are asked to donate what they normally would have charged for the portion of the crop dedicated to the project. Finally foundations and the government itself are asked to contribute.
"The result is a 'multiplier effect' that grows from the amount initially dedicated by the farmer or producer and each succeeding 'partner' who joins the chain." he wrote.
"For Catholics the collaboration - perhaps more importantly -- provides a rich opportunity to witness first hand to how the principles of Catholic social teaching are applied to daily reality."
Symkowick just completed his inaugural project with walnut grower and fellow deacon Ed Morgado. Morgado dedicated a half-acre on his 10-acre ranch near Chico. A neaby Lutheran church and Catholic parish, St. Dominic in Orland, agreed to contribute financially. Two other Lutheran churches later joined the team. John Deere gave $1,000.
In the fall harvest, the half-acre yielded a ton of walnuts. Morgado tallied up the operating costs, billed the contributors -- the four congregations' shares came to about $150 each -- and had an estimated $1,000 clear to deposit to the FRB account.
"We will support a project, most likely in Central America, where we're helping other projects with their infrastructure or some kind of growing technique, it goes from farmer to farmer," Morgado said.
The money will not be given to the recipient directly. CRS or Lutheran World Relief experts in recipients' areas direct FRB contributions to investments designed to improve farmers' productivity, such as a new well or a dam to hold back irrigation water.
"It's called food security -- to be able to have secure production of their own so they're not at the whims of shipping product halfway around the world, so they ate not at the whim of international donors or international markets."
Symkowick wrote that the funds from the newly established Western states FRB account could be used to help a grower in El Salvador or the Matagalpa coffee growing region of Nicaragua, where Morgado and his wife, Judy, a Lutheran pastor, visited on a CRS-sponsored trip in 2006.
"Who knows," he wrote, "the project selected for funding might itself form the beginning of a new relationship. Many past FRB projects with Midwest farmers have resulted in continued exchanges between the participants and their overseas beneficiaries."
Morgado hopes to recruit growers of other commodities, such as rice, to expand the FRB account. Would a rice grower with 1,000 acres dedicate five to FRB? Morgado thinks so. Some growers are interested but skeptical, a sentiment Morgado can appreciate.
"To be honest I thought it was a little hokey but it's turning out to be OK," he said. "It's helping us to put on a picture of understanding, to eliminate the abstraction. I'm a fellow deacon to and part of my call is address charitiable and justice issues. And I see this as a screaming-out loud justice issue."
Symkowick wrote: "I would like to invite and strongly encourage as many parishes, Catholic groups and Catholic agribusiness people as possible to participate in FRB projects. It is one of the best ways I have witnessed for multiple groups to experience from each other the living out of Catholic social teaching. While doing so, it also creates and leverages investment capital for overseas sustainable agribusiness projects that themselves are conceived of through the application of Catholic social teaching."
In an interview, Symkowick said his goal is to enlist more Catholic dioceses in the program. "It's a great opportunity to work with our brother Christian faiths," he said.
Do you know a farmer or rancher who would be willing to start an FRB project? Are you in a parish that would be interested in partnering with a farmer or rancher for this type of project? Have them contact Symkowick at (916) 484-0315 or jsymkowi@crs.org.