Agribusiness vs. Agriculture

Do you know the difference? If not, I suggest a glance at a blog I’ve just come across: Catholic Land Movement. In reply to our question, there is a posting on that site called “An Authentic Agriculture.” Here is the first paragraph:

Today we refer to what the giant monoculture farmers do as agriculture. This is actually a misnomer. What the vast majority of farmers do today is in actuality agribusiness. This is an important and essential distinction. This is the dividing line between those who support the work of the Catholic Land Movement and the Distributist ideal, and those who support the modern Capitalist/Socialist system and the industrialized farming model. We have to go to the roots of these two words to understand their distinction.

There are more people today that work for the government than that work the land as farmers. If ever there was a socioeconomic gauge of a sick society, that’s it. (We know society is sick. Catholics who know their faith can see this, but here we have a tremendous indicator of our societal illness.)

Our congregation works for the conversion of America to the only faith that saves, the Catholic faith. When America is Catholic, we will have, God willing, a Catholic social order. That social order must include the restoration of real farming (vs. the agribusiness Monsantos of the world). Meantime, there are brave souls, like the author of this blog, who are already reviving the Catholic family farm. May God give them increase.

In our bookstore, by the way, you may purchase The Church and the Land and other books related to this topic.