By Gary Johnson
The ailing Illinois economy is due for a remedy, and, as unlikely as it may seem, organic farming might just be what the doctor ordered. Right now, there is more demand among green-minded residents of this state for locally-grown, organic food than there is supply available for them. But soon, Illinois farmers may be able to satisfy these consumers when recommendations of a recent report begin to get carried out.
The report, released this spring by the Illinois Local and Organic Food & Farm Task Force, outlines a plan to expand and support a statewide local farm and food system. Entitled
Local, Food Farms, and Jobs: Growing the Illinois Economy, the report found people in Illinois spend more than $48 billion a year on food and most of those dollars go to items that come from China, Mexico and California. The 32-person task force was formed by the Illinois Food, Farms, and Jobs Act created last year by the state legislature.
An increase in Illinois food and farm products is certain to create jobs, spur economic and community development, and boost the availability of healthy, local food and farm products throughout the state, the report concluded.
When the findings were unveiled this spring, Hero Tameling, Director of the Office of Security and Emergency Preparedness, cited another boon for establishing food self-reliance in Illinois: security. In times of disaster, Tameling said, the security of Illinois citizens depends directly on the existence of a local food production, distribution, and reserve system.
Establishing such a system is no small task. Among other things, the report calls for recruiting and training farmers, changing infrastructure so that farmers can more efficiently serve close metropolitan areas, and informing the public about the health and economic benefits of supporting local farms.
Preliminary steps to begin implementation of the recommendations are already underway. Debbie Hillman, Illinois Local and Organic Food & Farm Task Force Coordinator, says new state legislation recently passed, and when enacted, it will set in motion key recommendations of the report. Entitled The Local Food, Farms, and Jobs Act of 2009, it passed the Illinois General Assembly on May 30 and is awaiting Governor Pat Quinn's signature.
The law will create an Illinois Local Food, Farms, and Jobs Council that will be responsible for full implementation of the report. There is also a recommendation for creation of a new state label to reflect locally-produced farm and food products. It also sets two local foods procurement goals: 10 percent for state agencies and 20 percent for state-funded institutions like schools, hospitals, and nursing homes. The newly-created council will determine how to help these establishments meet those benchmarks.
"Getting the Local Food, Farms, and Jobs Act of 2009 passed was an achievement," Hillman attests. "And now Illinois will have a group of people dedicated and commissioned to work to maximize the economic potential of Illinois' abundant natural resources."
