Reports, Policies and Recommendations

planning — by Elise Benveniste — last modified June 09, 2008 07:16 PM

making local food systems part of our Urban and Regional Planning

Feeding Ourselves: Strategies for a New Illinois Food System — by Elise Benveniste — last modified June 02, 2008 03:38 PM

A Red Tomato report on how to accelerate the growth of sustainable agriculture in Illinois. It’s a bold vision that seeks to accelerate the pace of sustainable agriculture in rural areas and promote high-tech urban agriculture. It was completed in July 2004 with the Illinois Food and Community Funders Group, a unique and visionary collaborative of funders.

The Lumpkin Family Foundation: Local Food Program Report and Recommendation — by Elise Benveniste — last modified June 02, 2008 02:54 PM

Between July and December 2007, a team led by the Delta Institute of Chicago researched the opportunities available to The Foundation to have an impact on issues related to food in the Lumpkin grantmaking region. Can The Foundation support economic development? Can we play a role in encouraging healthier eating?

Community Food Assessment Handbook — by Elise Benveniste — last modified June 02, 2008 03:02 PM

The Foodcheck Handbook has been researched and written by the Countryside Agency. At Action for Market Towns, we are now pleased to take on the role of publishing and promoting the handbook as part of our broader commitment to carry forward the regenerationof the country’s market towns. This publication is not only a valuable tool for market towns to use but we see it as an excellent example of how to develop and share good practice amongst market town partnerships. We believe that the involvement of the two Beacon Towns who piloted the Foodcheck - Faringdon and Bridport - provides a model for future knowledge and skills exchange betweens towns across the country.

Building Chicago’s Community Food Systems: A report by the Chicago Food Policy Advisory Council — by Elise Benveniste — last modified June 02, 2008 03:22 PM

Contents I. What is a Community Food System? 6 II. What is Community Food Security? 6 III. Recent History of Community Food Systems Work in Chicago 8 IV. About the Chicago Food Policy Advisory Council 9 V. The CFPAC Policy Platform 11 VI. Policy Opportunities for City of Chicago 12 VII. Local Case Studies 19 VIII. Food Policy in Other Cities 24 IX. Neighborhood Food Policy Councils 27 X. Steps Toward our Future 28 XI. Links and other Useful Information 29

Full Text of the Illinois Food Farms and Jobs Act — by Elise Benveniste — last modified June 02, 2008 03:25 PM

Synopsis As Introduced Creates the Illinois Food, Farms, and Jobs Act and the Illinois Local and Organic Food and Farm Task Force. Sets out the composition of the Task Force. Provides that the Task Force shall develop a plan for expanding and supporting a State local and organic food system and for assessing and overcoming obstacles to an increase in locally grown food and local organic food production. Sets out the contents of the plan. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Illinois Local Organic Food and Farm Fund. Effective immediately.

Chicago: Eat Local & Live Healthy — by Elise Benveniste — last modified June 09, 2008 07:27 PM

Chicago: Eat Local & Live Healthy is a City of Chicago strategy to coordinate aspects of the local and regional food industry in ways that enhance public health and create food-related business opportunities. The strategy identifies food issues that, if restructured locally, could improve food quality, lower its cost and increase its availability for consumers. It also presents examples of public- and private-sector cooperation that could provide new employment and sustainable development opportunities.

Illinois Food Change Organizations — by Elise Benveniste — last modified July 08, 2008 08:49 AM

A short piece on the need for an analytical framework that makes sense of the Illinois local food movement. Also, a comprehensive spreadsheet of Illinois based food systems change organizations, listing their activities and their type of work.

Sample Food System Surveys — by Leslie Cooperband — last modified June 09, 2008 08:11 PM

Three sample surveys to be used for understanding the local food system. One survey targets institutional food buyers, the second targets producers and processors, and the third survey targets household consumers.

List of Sustainable Ag, Ag Entrepreneurship, farmer directories, and statistical/data resources — by Andy Larson — last modified June 03, 2008 12:19 PM

After the conference, I know that the last thing you feel like you need right now is more information, but, inevitably, new questions on marketing, processing and food systems will come up. I wanted to provide you with some great places to start looking for answers. Best of luck to you! Feel free to get in touch with me or anyone else with Extension’s Initiative for the Development of Entrepreneurs in Agriculture (IDEA). Andy Larson, formerly of I of I Extension, created this list while working on a number of related program in 2006.

Draft Report from the Illinois Local and Organic Food and Farm Task Force — by Elise Benveniste — last modified December 08, 2008 11:58 AM

Dear Local Farm and Food Colleague - As promised a few weeks ago, attached is the Draft Report from the Illinois Local and Organic Food and Farm Task Force. This is only the body of the report (no appendices) and is 33 pages long. We hope that you will have time to review it, to respond to the questions (attached), and to return your comments to us no later than Friday, December 12, 2008. We apologize for the short review period, but the process is taking longer than thought and our work must be completed shortly to meet the Illinois Department of Agriculture's and next year's legislative deadlines. Send your comments to: Debbie Hillman and Jim Braun DLHillman@sbcglobal.net jbraun2525@yahoo.com This has been a two-year process begun October 2006 when State Rep. Julie Hamos agreed to write a piece of legislation to reflect the broad interests of Illinois' local farm and food movement. HB1300, the Illinois Food, Farms, and Jobs Act, was entered into the General Assembly in February 2007 and was passed unanimously that June. We have attached the complete bill (2 pages only) so you can frame your comments within that context if that is helpful. The Task Force was appointed by the Governor in December 2007 and has been meeting since January 30, 2008. Our goal is to present the General Assembly policy and funding recommendations that will actually jump-start a fully-functioning Illinois farm and food system. The Report provides the background for the Recommendations. Once the report is complete, Rep. Hamos will draft legislation for next year's General Assembly to, hopefully, implement the Task Force recommendations in Section VII of the Report. If you wish to review any aspects of the Task Force process over the last 8 months, you can see the membership, meeting minutes, committee reports, etc., on the Illinois Department of Agriculture website. http://www.agr.state.il.us/marketing/Mkt_ILOFFTaskForce.html This request for input is going out to over 50 people nationwide representing a diversity of cultures. We will obviously not be able to include all suggestions but solicit your input because we respect your expertise and experience. This is hopefully just the beginning of a much greater on-going process. Thank you for your help. If you have questions, please feel free to contact us. Debbie and Jim Debbie Hillman and Jim Braun, Coordinators Illinois Local & Organic Food & Farm Task Force DLHILLMAN@sbcglobal.net 847/328-7175 JBraun2525@yahoo.com 515/229-2679