The Family Farming Ministry in our diocese

By Father Marvin Boes, Guest commentary
May 20, 2004

In face of the threats to the sustainability of independent family enterprises and of the local community, more and more entrepreneurs in our state are working at making their operations sustainable. They aim to become sustainable physically, economically and socially in the local community.

In their empowerment to effectively struggle for the sustainability of their independent enterprises and local communities, local people need knowledge and understanding of their human moral rights and responsibilities in doing so. Morality for human persons depends upon natural law which, in accord with human nature, rests in the spiritual minds and hearts of human persons.

In accord with their nature and natural law, human persons are acting persons. With their spiritual powers of reason and will they direct their own actions which are good for themselves in accord with the principles and norms of natural law in them.

Again, in accord with their nature, the goods for human persons are preservation of human life, transmittance of human life and their development as human persons. In that all physical realities and relationships and social realities and relationships are for the good of human persons, their good, according to their nature is a good for human persons to pursue in their actions.

Human persons are social in their human nature. They fulfill themselves through transcending themselves and giving themselves in love for others.

Pope John Paul II speaks of human persons as "self-givers." According to him, this gift of self is to be expressed in accord with the wise plan of the creation of the Creator. The Creator's plan is expressed in the law of creation in our world. The law of creation is reflected in the natural law being grasped by human persons in their minds and hearts.

The first aspect of natural law is the law and right to do good for the human person himself or herself, primarily to preserve one's own life, to transmit life and to develop as a person. The other aspect is the moral obligation which arises with that right. So, if a human person has a right to something, other human persons have an obligation to respect that right. The same is true for the human person's obligation to respect his or her own rights to something and his or her responsibility to act accordingly usually in self-help

Their human moral life is the only place where human persons encounter obligation. As noted above, human persons are obliged to realize or protect the good of human persons in accord with their human nature. So the first moral norm is "to do good." All other moral norms or principles in natural law are only particular formulations of the first norm.

Human persons, in their nature, have a conscience, which is a judgment of reason by which human persons recognize the moral quality of a specific action. Human persons are obliged to follow faithfully what they know to be just and right.

Human persons can know in their minds and accept in their hearts the truth, right and good in the realities and relationships in all creation including human persons and their specific natures. With reasoning, human persons "form their consciences" with appropriate particular formulations of moral principles and norms of natural law to guide them in deciding on doing or not doing a specific action which is good for the person to do. This doesn't change the personal difficulty or hurt of the action necessarily.

Some guidance drawn from natural law to guide the local persons in their work to make their independent farms and non-farm enterprises and local communities sustainable follows.

We consider making them sustainable economically in the local community. Human persons have a right to own the land and facilities and to own and operate farm and non-farm enterprises. In the independent family enterprises, the operations are to be at the size and the just prices received for their products marketed by the enterprise to produce income sufficient for the family to gain a living income and profit needed to continue the operation of the enterprise. In that the land with facilities is a factor of production, the owner has a right to a just rent paid by the enterprise. Also, in that human work is a factor contributing to production, the worker has a right to family living income from a wage and other benefits during the period of time of the employment. The worker has a right to healthy and safe working conditions for human persons.

The families, in buying needed inputs and selling products in operating their enterprises, need to do business with those enterprises serving the local community. They need to do the same in providing for the livelihood of their own family.

We consider making them sustainable physically in the local community. The enterprise, in its operations, avoids pollution and tries to improve land, air, water, environment and ecological system in the local community. The farmers, in their farming operations, are to cultivate the soil, produce crops and raise livestock in harmony with the nature of the animals, other living creatures and organisms and other material reality of creation.