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Illinois Local Food Roadmap Project Needs More Community Input
- Bob Benenson
- Apr 29
- 2 min read
As Listening Tour Winds Down, Organizers Provide an Online Survey
The Illinois Food System Roadmap project seeks to advance a sustainable and resilient Illinois foodshed by drawing together participants and advocates in the state's local food ecosystem.
In its first stage, the project — presented by Chicago's Experimental Station non-profit — has been obtaining valuable input with a series of listening sessions and interactive conversations across the state and online. The final two sessions, both online, will be held on Thursday (May 1) from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and on May 14 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The organizers recognize, though, that not everyone with a strong interest in local food has the time to attend an event. To provide an opportunity for everyone who wants to share their thoughts, there is now a survey that you can take and submit online.
Here's how the organizers describe the survey:
Help Build a Roadmap to Our Local Food Future: Join with farmers, food producers, distributors, grocery co-ops and other food system leaders to collectively create a roadmap to build a local, more sustainable, resilient food system in Illinois.If you can’t make either of the remaining online sessions, please fill out a Survey here: bit.ly/ILRoadmap.
Deadline to fill out a survey is May 8. All completed farmer surveys will be entered to win one of three $200 raffle prizes.
Here is more background on the program from Experimental Station:
Supported by grant funding from the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), Experimental Station has convened a Task Force with an initial six-month goal of information gathering — what would an Illinois Food System Roadmap look like; what are the initiatives already underway in the state to improve the food system; who’s working with whom; what are the needs and gaps? This initial phase will not develop a complete Roadmap but will instead lay the groundwork for future development.
A roadmap would bring Illinois in line with many other states. 18 state plans have already been developed to grow their local food systems, and 11 more are in the process of developing (as of 2021 survey).
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