Montclair Presbyterian Church

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Land Grabs, Food Sovereignty, Extractive Industry issues, Trade and Erosion of Sovereignty on every continent

It was a difficult day today. We paused for prayer, then moved with intensity into presentations covering a series of inter related issues dealing with the suffering of millions around the world.

Anuradha Mittal of the Oakland Institute set the tone with a powerful discussion of groundbreaking research her organization has done on Land Grab, a global phenomenon in which  the poor are forced off their lands to make way for environment-destroying industrial agriculture.

We then heard from a panel of global partners from Cameroon, Sri Lanka,, South India, Haiti, and El Salvador discussing how communities in their countries are affected by the impact of corporate greed, and what their networks, partnered with the Presbyterian Church have been able to do.

After lunch Manuel Perez Rocha from the Institute for Policy Studies, explained the complicated issues involved in the investor-state provisions of so-called Free Trade agreements. The policies have the effect of undermining the self-determination of whole nations.

Then Tutu Alicante of Equatorial Guinea Justice spoke about the depths of corruption and huge contrast in income. we learned that this small, West African nation has an oil-fed per capita income higher than France, yet 85% of the people liveon less than $1 per day.

Discussions were so intense that we ran out of time before we ran out of things to talk about. It was the kind of day that leaves you at once exhausted, angry, and yet inspired.

At the end of the day Hunter Farrell, Director for World Mission for the Presbyterian Church (USA) generously shared his thoughts about Joining Hands and Mission. View his comments below:

Abigail Heimach, intern with the Presbyterian Hunger Program offered her poem “Invisible Backpack” to attendees at the Together for Justice Conference.

Leading morning prayers Bryan MacFarland spoke to the myth of scarcity with the song: “Enough for Everyone”