An illustration by Katya Balakina of a discussion about the Illinois food system at the Chicago Food Policy Action Council’s Annual Food Justice Summit.
We have said it before—Illinois is a food insecure state. Despite being a major agricultural producer, Illinois farmers grow less than 5% of the food we eat, with almost all our food imported from other states and countries.
To change that, for almost two years, Experimental Station has led the Illinois Food System Roadmap initiative. The aim of the 14-person Roadmap Task Force charged with the work is to help build coordination between various food system actors and advance work just getting started and already underway.
By February 2027, we will have completed a strategic plan for Illinois focused on food-producing farming, aggregation, distribution, consumption, and food waste with the support of 30+ subject matter experts from across the food system spectrum. This plan will guide policymakers, food system advocates, state agencies, philanthropy, and investors toward a shared vision of what our food system could be, as well as actionable recommendations to get there.
Concurrently, the Roadmap team is developing and piloting a set of facilitation tools for helping groups, towns, and counties advance their food system goals. From Kane County in the north to the city of Alton in the south, we are working alongside communities to tailor local food system strategies to their unique needs.
In the coming year, Experimental Station will also be taking its mission a step further. Facing climate threats and lost export markets, Illinois commodity farmers are struggling to survive. The time is now to champion a sustainable long-term vision for Illinois agriculture, shifting from corn and soy monocultures to a diverse variety of edible crops for both local consumption and export—a vision we call ‘IL the new CA.’
Stay tuned...!
