EARTHKEEPING NEWS A NEWSLETTER OF THE NORTH AMERICAN COALITION FOR CHRISTIANITY AND ECOLOGY Volume Three, Number Six July/August 1994 FAITH COMMUNITIES, VALUES, CAN HELP REFORM AGRICULTURE Canadian Christian Farm Organization Celebrates 40th Anniversary Founded in 1954 by 12 farmers of the Christian Reformed Church, the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario (CFFO) last March celebrated 40 years of service to farmers . It is now an accredited general farm organization with over 3,000 supporters and members in 22 District Associations. Committed to being upfront about the Christian value system, CFFO members believe that stewardship is balancing the economic value our culture gives to food production with the enduring value of creation: people, family, land, plants and animals. CFFO challenges those considering membership to work out the implications of the Christian gospel for farm practices and policies. For more, write Elbert van Donkersgoed, editor CFFO newsletter, Earthkeeping Ontario, Jubilee Centre for Agricultural Research, 115 Woolwich St., Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1H 3V1, (519) 837-1620. Iowa Church Land Project Promotes Creative Use of Church-owned Farmland The Church Land Project (CLP), co-sponsored by the National Catholic Rural Life Conference and PrairieFire Rural Action, Des Moines IA, over the last three years has assisted seven churches, dioceses and religious communities in formulating sustainable land use policies, in documenting church-owned land holdings, and in creating educational material on theology and agricultural ethics. Over the next three years the CLP will work with several Midwestern communities to facilitate the transfer of farmland owned by churches and retiring farmers to beginning or restart farmers. The project will continue to promote sustainable agriculture and to explore new options for economic development. For more, write Joseph B. Dever, Director, Church Land Project, NCRLC, 4625 Beaver Ave., Des Moines IA 50310, (515) 270-2634. Home     Table of Contents