Illinois food growers, distributors and activists voiced solutions for creating a more resilient and equitable food system in Illinois: support for growers and producers of all experience levels, investment in education and marketing strategies, and advocacy engagement to secure more funding.
More than 300 people involved in Illinois’ food network met in 30 listening sessions hosted this spring by University of Illinois Extension as part of the $28 million Local Food Purchasing Assistance program. LFPA, a new federally funded program in 2023, is an opportunity to invest in food production and procurement in Illinois.
Around 95% of the food consumed in Illinois is purchased outside the state, according to the latest data available from the Illinois Local and Organic Food Farm Task Force.
“The need for infrastructure investments in Illinois was mentioned in nearly every listening session as a necessary step to improve the state’s food system,” says Jennifer McCaffrey, assistant dean for Extension’s family and consumer sciences programs, including Extension’s work in Supplemental Nutrition Education Programs, also known as SNAP-Ed. Attendees highlighted the importance of building up transportation and distribution infrastructure to transport food from the farm to the market and from the market to the consumer.
Infrastructure Challenges
“It’s really hard work getting the food safely to that end user in a timely manner,” an attendee said. “From harvest, it takes people; it takes buildings; it takes refrigeration; it takes electricity; and it takes gas.”
Moving food to the consumer could be made easier and safer by expanding cold storage at nearly every point of the distribution process. Additionally, more food processing facilities are needed that can accommodate small to mid-size growers.
The lack of processing facilities contributes to food waste, long wait times, or longer travel distances. At the time of the conversations, meat producers stated their wait times for meat processing facilities in Illinois can sometimes be over one year which has forced producers to drive increased distances to get their products processed timely.
Fruit and vegetable growers also expressed a need for processing facilities or commercial kitchens that could help extending the shelf life and reduce waste, especially during peak growing season, and provide year-round product availability.
Additional infrastructure needs include expansion of the Electronic Benefits Transfer and additional staff for harvesting, handling, transportation, and selling.
Agribusiness Development
Famers say they are challenged by balancing the skillsets required to be both business owner and farmer. They stated a need marketing expertise, investment capital, de-risking strategies, financial planning support, and land access.
They raised questions around where to find land to farm, purchase, or lease and how to financially make it work. The average farmer in Illinois is 58 years old, and succession planning should be essential to any agribusiness discussions. The Illinois Farmland Access Initiative was established in collaboration between The Land Connection, The Conservation Fund, and The Liberty Prairie Foundation to establish a much-needed farm access strategy for Illinois. Listening session attendees felt these concerns need additional attention.
Source: illinois.edu
Photo Credit: gettyimages-jacqueline-nix
Categories: Illinois, General