Connecting nature-conservation coalition to food and farming groups.
On Thursday, November 21, the Will County Board adopted a resolution urging creation of a systems approach for increasing the supply of “locally produced/processed foods to complement global supply chains that may be disrupted in emergency events.”
Will County Board Chair Judy Ogalla spearheaded passage of the resolution. The one farmer on Will County’s 22-member board, Ogalla hasn’t forgotten spring 2020 when the brief shutdown of large-scale food processors led to empty produce bins and meat counters at grocery stores nationwide. She says the lesson from the COVID pandemic is that “counties cannot take for granted where food comes.”
Will County is inviting formation of a public-private partnership to pilot a new National Association of Counties (NACo) policy. NACo adopted “Good Food for All” last summer at the urging of Will County Board members. The policy urges cooperation among neighboring counties to attract financial resources needed to make locally produced, nutritious food widely available, promote community revitalization, and create jobs.
The “Good Food for All” policy resonates with Chicago Wilderness Alliance. This regional conservation coalition spans 38 counties along the shores of Lake Michigan in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. The Alliance creates space for collaboration among more than 330 partner organizations around a common vision – building biodiverse landscapes where people and nature thrive.
Chicago Wilderness Alliance recognizes farmers and the agricultural industry contribute significantly to the Lake Michigan Basin Region economy. The Alliance’s Growing with Agriculture Green Vision Initiative works to ensure farmland remains a permanent component of the regional fabric and important contributor to food system and climate resilience.
An Alliance cohort has spearheaded planning for a Will County-based “Good Food for All” pilot project. The idea is to connect nature conservationists with agri-food, nutrition, and conservation groups in Will, South Cook, and Kankakee Counties through strategies to grow the supply of locally produced and processed foods, while driving measurable and sustained ecological improvements.
“The Will County resolution cites a recent American Farmland Trust report that finds Will County leads Midwest counties for farmland likely to be lost by 2040 unless steps are taken to ‘safeguard the land that grows our food,’” said Tim Brennan, team lead for the Alliance’s Growing with Agriculture Green Vision Initiative.
“Activities proposed through the Good Food for All policy will restore habitat, reduce greenhouse emissions, and protect biodiversity in and around production areas,” added Brennan, who is Vice President, Programs and Strategic Impact, of Farm Foundation. “These activities also will bolster the livelihoods of farmers, increase crop yields, and reduce the negative effects of climate change.”
On November 15, the Alliance’s biennial Congress drew more than 600 people to Purdue University Northwest in Hammond, Indiana. The event featured dozens of workshops, including one that introduced the proposed “Will County Quality of Life Plan.”
Chicago Wilderness Alliance invites businesses, organizations, and conservation professionals at all stages of their careers to partner on any of its Green Vision Initiatives.