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“The Agrarian Rhetoric of the Sages: Farmers and their Markets in Proverbs”
by Paavo Tucker ([email protected])
Re-Imagining Faith Conference
Jan 9th, 2014
!
Ancient Israel was an agrarian society whose religion, ethics, and communal life were
permeated by an agricultural worldview and concerns.1 The book of Proverbs is also steeped
in this agrarian worldview. According to the sages, YHWH creates and orders the world
according to wisdom, establishing conditions conducive to agriculture and life: ‫י ְהוָה ְבּ ָח ְכמָה‬
‫שׁ ָחקִים י ְִרעֲפוּ־טָל‬
ְ ‫שׁ ַמי ִם בִּתְ בוּנָה בְּדַ עְתּוֹ תְּ הוֹמוֹת נִ ְבקָעוּ וּ‬
ָ ‫ַד־אָרץ כּוֹנֵן‬
ֶ
‫( יָס‬Prov 3:19-20). The task of the
sages is to discern the wisdom of creation and align their actions in concord with this order.
This paper will analyze the wisdom of the agrarian proverbs in order to understand the
worldview and values they promote for living wisely in proper relationship to God, mankind,
and creation in the endeavor of agriculture, which is the very basis of life on earth.
‫ צדקה‬and Agriculture
In the book of Proverbs, living in accordance with communal norms is described as
“righteousness” ‫צדקה‬.2 ‫ צדקה‬is the way of life promulgated by wisdom (8:20), consisting of
proper relationships between God, fellow humans, and creation.3 The ethical and theological
foundation of agriculture is in practicing communal ‫צדקה‬, as seen in 16:8 ‫טוֹב־ ְמעַט ִבּצְדָ קָה מֵר ֹב‬
‫שׁפָּט‬
ְ ‫א ִמ‬Hְ‫תְּ בוּאוֹת בּ‬. The way of ‫ צדקה‬considers the good of the community, and does not
increase produce (‫ )תְּ בוּאוֹת‬by injustice (‫שׁפָּט‬
ְ ‫א ִמ‬H) at the expense of others in the community. In
15:16, contentment with meagre but sufficient yields attained in concord with the will of God
1
Theodore Hiebert, The Yahwist Landscape: Nature and Religion in Early Israel
(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996), 141-144. According to Israel’s national epic Gen-2
Kings, the task of the first and ideal ‫ אדם‬was to serve the ‫אדמה‬, the ancestral fathers were
farmers and cattle raisers, national religion as revealed at Sinai was centered around
agricultural festivals, the ancestral homeland was allotted for each family to serve and to
keep, and the health of Israel’s covenant relationship to YHWH could be gauged in terms of
harmony with nature.
2
Gerhard Von Rad, Wisdom in Israel (London: SCM Press, 1972), 78.
3
Bruce K. Waltke, “Righteousness in Proverbs,” WTJ 70 (2008), 225-226. Waltke, who
analyzes every use of the term in Proverbs, concludes that it means “doing what is right in a
social relationship as defined by God’s standard of behavior” (235).
1
(‫ )טוֹב־ ְמעַט ְבּי ְִראַת י ְהוָה‬is better than a storehouse filled with disharmony (‫)מְהוּמָה‬, 4 and a dinner
of herbs eaten in harmony with the community is better than a discordant feast (15:17). Bread
attained by deceit (‫שׁקֶר‬
ָ ) is initially sweet, but eventually turns to gravel filling the mouth
(20:17 ‫)י ִ ָמּלֵא־פִיהוּ ָחצָץ‬. Based on the ideal of communal ‫ צדקה‬grounded in the fear of YHWH,
the sages formulated principles to live by to maintain this order, and warn against behavior
that will destroy order.
1.1 Maintaining ‫ צדקה‬in Agriculture
Individual work ethic is important for the success of the community in Proverbs,
particularly in the realm of agriculture. The one who works the land will have bread to eat
(12:11 ‫שׂבַּע־ ָלחֶם‬
ְ ִ ‫)עֹבֵד אַדְ מָתוֹ י‬, whereas the fool engages in vain pursuits (‫)וּמ ְַרדֵּ ף ֵריקִים ֲחסַר־לֵב‬.5
This proverb is paralleled in 28:19, where the one who pursues emptiness attains poverty
(‫ַע־רישׁ‬
ִ ‫שׂבּ‬
ְ ִ ‫)וּמ ְַרדֵּ ף ֵרקִים י‬. Working too much however can be counter-productive. The man who
hastens to become rich in 28:20 will not maintain innocence ‫א יִנָּקֶה‬H ‫אָץ ְל ַה ֲעשִׁיר‬, and the stingy
man who pursues wealth in 28:22 will come to poverty ‫א־י ֵדַ ע כִּי־ ֶחסֶר‬Hְ‫נִ ֳבהָל לַהוֹן אִישׁ ַרע ָעי ִן ו‬
‫י ְבֹאֶנּוּ‬. As pointed out by Fox, these verses do not specify the cause of the downfall of wealth
gained in haste, but numerous explanations can be suggested:
The avaricious man may use illegitimate means in his pursuits. Or he may arouse
jealousy and anger, which will come back to harm him. Or he may build his fortune on
fragile schemes of speculations rather than accruing it step-by-step by patient industry.6
Patient accretion of produce to provide what is needed for survival is the ideal, whereas
4
As noted by Michael V. Fox, Proverbs 10-31 (AB 18B; New Haven: Yale University
Press, 2009), 595, ‫ מְהוּמָה‬refers to anarchy and strife that follows the breakdown of order,
referring here to agitation and conflict over the resources being hoarded.
5
The term ‫ ריק‬is used either for a worthwhile pursuit which can fail to yield produce and
be termed ‫ריק‬, such as agriculture in Lev. 26:16-20. Or, in Prov 12:11 and 28:19, the content
of the pursuit is itself termed ‫ ריק‬is “worthless.”
6
Fox, Proverbs 10-31, 830.
2
schemes to fill ones storehouses beyond what is needed are despised. Poverty and wealth are
not necessarily good or bad, but the strenuous pursuit of wealth is discouraged in 23:4
(‫ חֲדָ ל‬P ְ‫ )אַל־תִּ יגַע ְל ַה ֲעשִׁיר ִמבִּינָת‬and poverty is undesirable due to the extremes to which it can
drive man.7 The wise recognize that a wrong attitude towards wealth can lead to pride and
lack of reliance on God, and poverty can lead to stealing and violating the name of God with
false oaths (30:8-9).8 The communal value of ‫ צדקה‬assures that each member of the
community will be cared for, as according to 21:26 the righteous will give to the less
fortunate (Rֹ ‫א יַחְשׂ‬Hְ‫)צַדִּ יק י ִתֵּ ן ו‬. The generous man is pronounced blessed when giving from his
bread to the poor (22:9 ‫ כִּי־נָתַ ן ִמ ַלּחְמוֹ לַדָּ ל‬R‫)טוֹב־ ַעי ִן הוּא י ְב ָֹר‬. Ants exemplify the ideal of industry
in their timing, work ethic, and communal focus, as they work in the summer to provide for
their needs in the winter (30:25 ‫א־עָז ַויָּכִינוּ ַב ַקּי ִץ ַל ְחמָם‬H ‫) ַהנְּ ָמלִים עַם‬. The notion of timing and the
appropriate expenditure of effort are central themes of wisdom literature, and essential for
successful agriculture.9 The wise son harvests at the proper time, while the shameful son is
asleep (10:5 ‫שׂכִּיל נ ְִרדָּ ם ַבּ ָקּצִיר בֵּן ֵמבִישׁ‬
ְ ‫)אֹגֵר ַבּ ַקּי ִץ בֵּן ַמ‬. The sluggard does not plow on time and
finds nothing at harvest (20:4 ‫א־יַחֲר ֹשׁ יִשְׁאַל ַבּ ָקּצִי וָאָי ִן‬H ‫)מֵח ֶֹרף ָעצֵל‬.10 The “woman of valor”
‫ ֵאשֶׁת־ ַחי ִל‬of 31:10-31 is praised for her timely and diligent actions to secure the survival of her
household (31:27 ‫א ת ֹאכֵל‬H ‫)צוֹ ִפיּ ָה ֲהלִיכוֹת בֵּיתָ הּ ְו ֶלחֶם ַעצְלוּת‬. She engages in trade to procure food,
plants a vineyard (31:16), and is generous towards the poor (31:20). All of these actions bring
7
As noted by Norman Whybray, Wealth and Poverty in Proverbs (JSOTSupp 99;
Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1990), 9, there are diverse views towards wealth and poverty in
Proverbs, reflecting the perspectives of various social classes.
8
See for example the words of Agur in 30:8-9: ‫שׂבַּע ְו ִכ ַחשְׁתִּ י‬
ְ ‫אַל־תִּ תֶּ ן־לִי ַהט ְִרי ֵפנִי ֶלחֶם ֻחקִּי פֶּן ֶא‬
‫הָי‬Hֱ‫וְאָמ ְַרתִּ י מִי י ְהוָה וּפֶן־ ִאוּ ֵָרשׁ ְוגָנַבְתִּ י וְתָ ַפשְׂתִּ י שֵׁם א‬.
9
As noted by Von Rad, Wisdom in Israel, 139-141. See also Isaiah 28:23-29, where the
farmer is taught the appropriate timing and actions of each phase of agriculture by God.
10
This concern for timing in agricultural activities is seen in the Gezer Calendar, which
assigns each activity to ‫“ ירחו‬it’s month.” This calendar was likely used as an educational
text. See Philip J. King and Lawrence Stager, Life in Biblical Israel (Louisville: Westminster
John Knox, 2001), 87-88, for a discussion of the calendar.
3
her family honor in society. Similarly to the ant, she epitomizes the values of the agrarian
worldview of Proverbs.
A trade system to distribute and exchange goods is essential to an agrarian economy.
According to King and Stager, there were two main loci for commerce in Israel: the
marketplace (‫ )חוצות‬near the city gates,11 and the individual household, which was often an
independent economic unit.12 The household was the foundation of Israelite economy from
the Iron age settlement onward, and served as the economic base during the monarchy as
well. Bartering between individuals who would actually consume produced goods was
generally the context and means by which goods were exchanged, rather than market-based
exchange for profit.13 The basis of bartering was determining the value of goods concomitant
to a system of weights and measures (‫“ פלס‬level scale” and ‫“ מאזנים‬balances”).14 Due to the
lack of standardization of the measurements and the difficulty of monitoring the system, the
system of bartering was subject to abuse. Hence it is regulated by Israelite legislature (Lev
19:35-36; Deut 25:13-15), and failure to adhere to justice in weighing is frequently indicted
by the prophets (Hos 12:7; Amos 8:5; Mic 6:11; Ezek 45:10). It is of notice that each proverb
that refers to weights and measures mentions YHWH: deceitful scales are an abomination to
YHWH as in 11:1: ‫מ ֹאזְנֵי מ ְִרמָה תּוֹ ֲעבַת י ְהוָה‬. Just scales belong to YHWH (‫שׁפָּט לַיהוָה‬
ְ ‫ֶפּלֶס וּמ ֹאזְנֵי ִמ‬
16:11); and fraudulent weights are an abomination to YHWH (‫ֶאבֶן ָו ֶאבֶן אֵיפָה ְואֵיפָה תּוֹ ֲעבַת י ְהוָה‬
20:23 ‫ תּוֹ ֲעבַת י ְהוָה ֶאבֶן וָאָבֶן‬20:10). Thus YHWH oversees the justice of weights and transactions
(16:11).15
11
Cf. 2 Kings 7:1; 1 Kings 20:34.
12
As noted by King and Stager, Life in Biblical Israel, 191-2, the typical Israelite fourpillared house was equipped with agricultural production infrastructure and animal stabling
units.
13
Ibid., 192.
14
Ibid., 195-6.
15
Within the context of 16:10-15 the responsibility of monitoring the weights in 16:11
4
Agricultural produce was also gathered and distributed on a national level, as is
reflected in 11:26 "the one who holds back grain is cursed by the people, but blessing on the
head of the one who distributes" (‫שׁבִּיר‬
ְ ‫)מֹנֵ ַע בָּר י ִ ְקּבֻהוּ לְאוֹם וּב ְָרכָה לְר ֹאשׁ ַמ‬.16 As noted by Fox, the
‫שׁבִּיר‬
ְ ‫ ַמ‬is a central grain distributor, likely with ties to the government, such as Joseph (Gen.
42:6), Sihon (Deut 2:28), and the greedy men who use unjust scales indicted by Amos
(8:5-6).17 The context of 11:24-26 praises generosity for the communal good,18 blessing the
‫שׁבִּיר‬
ְ ‫ ַמ‬who distributes grain when needed. Conversely, the people curse the one who
withholds grain, presumably to drive up prices for greedy gain. According to 3:9-10, they
way to prosperity is through generosity: those who honor YHWH with their first-fruits and
produce (P ֶ‫ וּמ ֵֵראשִׁית כָּל־תְּ בוּאָת‬Pֶ‫) ַכּבֵּד אֶת־י ְהוָה מֵהוֹנ‬, will have their storehouses filled with grain
(‫שׂבָע‬
ָ P‫) ְוי ִ ָמּלְאוּ ֲא ָסמֶי‬. The communal ethos of ‫ צדקה‬is at the fore in commerce as well as all areas
of agriculture. The good of the community in agriculture is grounded in proper relations
between man, the land, the animals,19 and God, as the wisdom ideal for life and prosperity.
can also be associated with the king, who is mentioned in each verse from 10-15.
16
As noted by Fox, Proverbs 10-31, 544, the ‫ לְאוֹם‬always refers to a nation as a whole.
C.f. Solomon’s elaborate system of storage cities described in 1 Kings 9:19. Local farmers
were taxed on their produce, which would be brought to centralized granaries, from which
the grain was sold to the people for profit.
17
Michael V. Fox, “The Social Location of the Book of Proverbs,” in Texts, Temples, and
Traditions: A Tribute to M. Haran (ed. M. V. Fox, V. Hurowitz, A. Hurvitz, M. Klein, B.
Schwartz & N. Shupak; Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 1996), 233.
18
Prov 11:24-25 "One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he
should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who
waters will himself be watered."
19
The wise man treats his animals with kindness (‫שׁעִים אַ ְכז ִָרי‬
ָ ‫יוֹדֵ ַע צַדִּ יק נֶפֶשׁ ְבּ ֶהמְתּוֹ ו ְַר ֲחמֵי ְר‬
12:10) knowing that if crops fail, livestock provides security for sustenance: Prov. 27:23-27
“Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds, for riches do not
last forever; and does a crown endure to all generations? When the grass is gone and the new
growth appears and the vegetation of the mountains is gathered, the lambs will provide your
clothing, and the goats the price of a field. There will be enough goats’ milk for your food,
for the food of your household and maintenance for your girls” (ESV).
5
1.2 Compromising ‫צדקה‬: Laziness, Unjust Commerce, Violence
According to the sages, the greatest threat to agrarian societal order is laziness. The
term ‫ עצל‬for “lazy person,” is associated with greed, lying speech, and arrogantly being wise
in one’s own eyes (26:13-16). The ‫ עצל‬is guided by what he thinks is wisdom, but is actually
folly. He has no concern for provisions for the future or communal wellbeing, compared with
the industrious ant (6:6-11). Rather, he is associated with those who destroy the community
(18:9) ‫שׁחִית‬
ְ ‫גַּם מִתְ ַרפֶּה ִב ְמלַאכְתּוֹ אָח הוּא ְל ַבעַל ַמ‬.20 In 21:25-26 the greedy ‫ עצל‬perishes, whereas the
‫ צדיק‬who has worked diligently has an abundance to share with the community. Closely
associated with the ‫ עצל‬is the ‫רמיה‬, “idle man,” who is involved in work, but at a leisurely
pace.21 Also empty or worthless pursuits ‫רקים‬, though diligent, are condemned if they do not
contribute to the communal good (12:11; 28:19). In the realm of agriculture, laziness leads to
hunger (13:4; 19:5) and poverty (20:13). It results in a loss of produce (20:4), and fields and
vineyards left unattended are overrun by weeds (24:30-34). As pointed out by Davis, the sloth
is designated as such not for unwillingness to work, but for not producing good work: “work
that is inadequately done is destructive of both the individual and the community.”22 Not only
does laziness lead to hunger and poverty, but its tragic outcome is the destruction of
communal ‫צדקה‬.
Another force destructive to communal ‫ צדקה‬is commercial injustice, which results in a
worker not receiving compensation concomitant to the labor done. In 13:23 a poor man’s
field can produce much yield (‫)רב־אֹכֶל נִיר ָראשִׁים‬,
ָ but this gain can be swept away by injustice
(‫שׁפָּט‬
ְ ‫א ִמ‬Hְ‫)נִ ְספֶּה בּ‬. Someone pursuing an empty (‫ )ריק‬scheme hastening to become rich, may
20
In 6:32 ‫ משׁחית‬refers to one who destroys himself and the communal harmony through
adultery, and in 28:24 to a son who steals from his parents, thus destroying the family
relationship.
21
Prov 10:4; 12:24, 27; 19:15.
22
Ellen Davis, Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture: An Agrarian Reading of the Bible
(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008), 140.
6
take advantage of others in the community (28:19-20).23 The man driven by greed will show
favoritism and bend the rules to make a profit (28:21-22 ‫)עַל־פַּת־ ֶלחֶם י ִ ְפשַׁע‬. Within the context
of 28:16-20, this oppressor is identified as a ruler, (‫ מֹשֵׁל‬v.15, ‫ נָגִיד‬v.16) who is bent on
acquiring unjust gain (‫ ֶבצַע‬v.16) at the expense of his subjects. This desire for unjust gain
destroys households and community (15:27 ‫)עֹכֵר בֵּיתוֹ בּוֹ ֵצ ַע ָבּצַע‬. As mentioned above,
commercial injustice could be practiced through unjust scales.24 Regulating weights and
measures was difficult, as minor adjustments to the weights could go undetected and produce
significant gains. The three sayings that condemn unjust weights in Proverbs (11:1; 20:10,
23) each refer to them as ‫תעובה‬, which in Leviticus refers to sexual perversity, and in
Deuteronomy to abhorrent idolatry.25 As pointed out by Clements, the sages use the rhetoric
of ‫ תעובה‬to stigmatize unjust weights and strongly discourage them.26 Though giving loans is
necessary to provide capital for commerce and agriculture, taking excessive interest to amass
wealth is condemned (28:8).27 Surprisingly absent from difficulties facing the agrarian
23
Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless
pursuits will have plenty of poverty. A faithful man will abound with blessings, but whoever
hastens to be rich jwill not go unpunished.
24
The Yavneh Yam ostracon testifies to such circumstances. According to the 7th c.
ostracon, a nameless worker has had his garment impounded by his supervisor Hashavyahu,
who has charged that the worker failed to meet his quota of grain for the central granary (‫אסם‬,
cf. Deut 28:8). The worker affirms that he has measured out (‫יכל‬, from ‫כול‬/‫“ כיל‬to measure”)
the correct amount, with his fellow workers as witnesses, thus implying that Hashavyahu has
been dishonest in his measurement of the grain. For the text, see Shmuel Ahituv, Echoes from
the Past: Hebrew and Cognate Inscriptions from the Biblical Period (Jerusalem: Carta,
2008), 156-164.
25
Lev 7:21; 11:10, 11, 12, 13, 20, 23, 41, 42; Deut 7:25-26; 12:31; 18:9.
26
Ronald E. Clements, “The Concept of Abomination in the Book of Proverbs,” in Texts,
Temples, and Traditions: A Tribute to M. Haran (ed. M. V. Fox, V. Hurowitz, A. Hurvitz, M.
Klein, B. Schwartz & N. Shupak; Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 1996), 216-7.
27
As noted by Fox, Proverbs 10-31, 823, this verse does not condemn interest and loans
per se, but the excessive practice of taking interest to amass wealth (‫ וּבְתַ ְרבִּית‬Rֶ‫)מ ְַרבֶּה הוֹנוֹ ְבּנֶשׁ‬.
The verse assumes that the person who does take interest will generously dispense it to the
lowly (‫)לְחוֹנֵן דַּ לִּים י ִ ְק ְבּצֶנּוּ‬. Torah legislation prohibits taking interest from Israelites: Ex 22:24;
Lev 25:36.
7
community are natural disasters such as famine, floods, and hail.28 The threats envisioned for
the agrarian community in Proverbs are from within the community, resulting from the lack
of ‫ צדקה‬in relationships. The reference to a distributer of grain in 11:26 recalls Joseph’s status
as a ‫שׁבִּיר‬
ְ ‫ ַמ‬who oversees the distribution of goods for the survival of the community in
famine in Gen 42:6. A situation of dire need and dependance on communal stores seems to
underlie Prov 11:26, where the people curse the authorities who withhold grain, presumably
to make more profit by driving up prices. Such a situation is reflected in Amos 8:5-6, where
the ‫שׁבִּיר‬
ְ ‫ ַמ‬increases profit with unjust scales, resulting in the poor being sold into debt slavery.
These various practices are condemned in Proverbs as destroying communal ‫צדקה‬. The only
surety that the community has against commercial injustice and natural disaster destroying
crops and causing devastating famines is members of the community taking responsibility for
one another, as expressed in relational ‫צדקה‬.
Conclusion
The agrarian worldview of Proverbs shares the early Israelite value of the ideal life as
that of a farmer living in harmony with God, fellow man, and creation. This harmony is
expressed as communal ‫צדקה‬, which is maintained by wise and responsible agricultural and
commercial practices that prioritize the common good. Hence the idea of the common good
and relational justice is the foundation for ethical admonition in Proverbs. The follies of
laziness, greed, and injustice in commerce are rooted in selfishness and threaten to destroy
the community. This has profound implications for social justice and humanity's
responsibility to God, one another, and creation in our means of production, distribution,
commercialization, and consumption of agricultural products. This study of agriculture in
28
Though natural loss of produce may be hinted at in 27:23-27, where animal husbandry
is recommended as a sustainable and self-renewing resource for supporting the household,
presumably as a backup plan for years of bad grain yields.
8
ancient Israelite wisdom has implications for modern people facing the ethical issues
involved in agriculture in the 21st century as well. As Ellen Davis has argued,
Only a thorough understanding of how Israel represents the human place in the created
order can enable Christians to delineate a responsible vision of what participation in the
renewal of creation might mean.29
Davis views this discernment of the relationship of humanity to creation as "the most
essential theological task of this generation."30
This task is urgent, as paradoxically, modern industrialized agriculture is the greatest
threat to the health of the ecosystem today, with far-reaching ethical, economical, and
political implications worldwide. Industrial agriculture refers to a process of mechanizing the
growing, harvesting, and processing of food. Rather than having a multitude of small family
farms producing a variety of healthy, wholesome foods, we have huge, multinational,
multibillion-dollar corporations that have maximized their ability to provide food by making
every natural step in the life cycle of a crop or animal more "efficient" through the
application of science and engineering. Andrew Kimbrell's assessment of industrial
agricultural is sobering:
Industrial agriculture is devastating our land, water, and air, and is now threatening the
sustainability of the biosphere. Its massive chemical and biological inputs cause
widespread environmental havoc as well as human disease and death. Its monoculturing
reduces the diversity of our plants and animals. Its habitat destruction endangers
wildlife. Its factory farming practices cause untold animal suffering. Its centralized
corporate ownership destroys farm communities around the world, leading to mass
poverty and hunger. The industrial agriculture system is clearly unsustainable. It has
truly become a fatal harvest.31
Kimbrell trenchantly exposes seven myths that are perpetrated by proponents of industrial
agriculture, the most tragic of which is that industrial agriculture will solve the problem of
29
Davis, 7.
30
Ibid., 7.
31
Andrew Kimbrell, "Corporate Lies: Busting the Myths of Industrial Agriculture," in The
Fatal Harvest Reader: The Tragedy of Industrial Agriculture (Washington, D.C.: Island
Press, 2002), 3.
9
world hunger.32 As experience has shown, this has not proven to be the case. Enough food is
produced in the world to provide more than enough for the daily needs of every person in the
world.33 This surplus however has not brought an end to world hunger, as the distribution of
produce is skewed and driven by capitalist interests. In the United States alone, which is the
world's largest exporter of food, there are 33 million people suffering from hunger. Largescale industrial agriculture actually contributes to hunger and poverty in the world, by driving
up the cost of farming and forcing farmers off their land.34 The solutions to the problems of
agriculture and hunger in the world are complex and difficult to discern and implement.
According to the sages of Proverbs, the place to begin to solve the problems of agriculture is
at the grassroots level, in the concept of relational ‫צדקה‬, expressed in responsible action
towards the environment and our fellow humans. One example of how this responsibility can
be carried out in our modern society is through networks of "Community Food Security" that
have been gaining momentum among agricultural activists. According to Andrew Fisher, a
founder of such a movement,
Localized grassroots movements nationwide have been promoting community food
security to address deficiencies in a food system that is unresponsive to the food needs
of lower-income communities. Programs that promote farmers' markets, establish
school salad bars, and support urban agricultural enterprises help forge ties between
farms and inner cities, provide education on sustainable agriculture and nutrition, and
ensure that everyone has access to healthy, affordable foods. This concept of
community food security has linked these efforts and many others into an increasingly
promising and powerful movement for food system reform, while providing
communities with a needed measure of food independence.35
32
Kimbrell, 6-36. These myths are: 1) Industrial agriculture will feed the world; 2)
Industrial food is safe, healthy, and nutritious; 3) Industrial food is cheap; 4) Industrial
agriculture is efficient; 5) Industrial food offers more choices; 6) Industrial agriculture
benefits the environment and wildlife; 7) Biotechnology will solve the problems of industrial
agriculture. As Kimbrell shows, these are false views promoted by multi-national
corporations, who have succeeded in convincing the world of their views through extravagant
advertising.
33
Kimbrell, "Corporate Lies: Busting the Myths of Industrial Agriculture," 7.
34
Kimbrell, 6.
35
Andrew Fisher, "Community Food Security: A Promising Alternative to the Global
Food System," in The Fatal Harvest Reader: The Tragedy of Industrial Agriculture
10
Community Food Security is a system based on mutual responsibility and concern for the
environment, rooted in a local connectedness to the land and support of local farming through
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) efforts.36 This movement has the potential to
develop self-supporting local agri-business, and thus to wean communities in the Western
world from dependence on multinational industrial agriculture. This in turn can result in
alleviating the pressure industrial agriculture companies exert on farmers and the
environment in the developing world. According to the Community Food Security coalition
website, which connects people around America who are looking for an alternative to
industrialized agriculture, "Community food security is a condition in which residents obtain
a safe, culturally acceptable, nutritionally adequate diet through a sustainable food system
that maximizes community self-reliance and justice."37 Precisely such a community is viewed
as ideal in the divinely ordered cosmos of the ancient Yahwistic faith of the book of
Genesis,38 and of the agrarian worldview and vision of justice of the sages in Proverbs. A
return to such communal values of ‫ צדקה‬is integral to commitment to justice and relationships
with God and fellow humanity, as well as to the renewal and redemption of creation through
justice in agricultural practices in the broken world outside of the garden of Eden.
(Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 2002), 295.
36
Local Harvest, Inc., "Community Supported Agriculture," n.p. [cited 8 April 2013].
Online: http://www.localharvest.org/csa.
37
Mike Hamm and Anne Bellows, "What is Community Food Security?" n.p. [cited 8
April 2013]. Online: http://foodsecurity.org/what-is-community-food-security.
38
Hiebert, 141-142; Davis, 21-65.
11
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12
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