The prime soil and climate conditions in northeastern Illinois and northwestern Indiana are home to some of the most productive farmland on earth. Our region’s fertile farmland is an integral part of our local and national food system, and to ensure a healthy, sustainable, and accessible food supply, we must preserve local land to grow it on.

What’s more, consumers in and around urban areas, especially in Chicago’s metropolitan region, are eager for fresh, nutritious locally grown agricultural products. They like that it doesn't travel great distances—across the country or even the globe—to get to them. They also prefer “traceability,” knowing how their food is grown and by whom. As Carl Schramer, a local farmer from Kane County, says, “The one true way to know what’s in the food your family eats is to know your farmer.”

And the recent demand for locally grown foods has spawned an increase in the number of neighborhood farmers’ markets in Illinois—from 97 in 1999 to 270 in 2009. Community supported agriculture (CSA), a business model whereby farmer’s collect payment for pre-ordered local produce, has also gained widespread popularity in Illinois—from 14 CSAs in 2000 to 68 in 2008. Equally important, the growing appetite for local food enables farmers with small and mid-sized operations to remain viable, even in urbanizing areas.

Buying local food is a key way to support our local growers and safeguard agricultural land. By protecting our local farmland, we can help shift our nutritional priorities to favor healthy fresh food for all. With expanded food distribution systems and increased access to a nutritious and safe food supply, we can start to address food-related diseases and public health disparities. These types of  diseases, including heart disease and diabetes, disproportionately affect people who have lower incomes and live in underserved communities.These communities are often located in food desserts, places that do not have access to grocery stories. Saving our local farmland supports healthy living for all, and also supports healthy ecosystems and economies.

HomeGrown Chicago

The HomeGrown Chicago community food garden network, sponsored by Openlands, is a training program that focuses on fostering neighborhood groups to assess, plan for, and build long-term stewardship for community-managed green spaces. The objectives of the program are to promote increased growing and consumption of healthy and affordable local food, establish productive uses for vacant lots, build personal connections among neighbors, and reinforce a citywide network of local gardeners for the exchange of ideas and experiences.

HomeGrown Chicago provides participants a series of four workshops annually that focus on finding and securing land, establishing a sustainable organizational structure, designing a garden and growing food organically, and building garden structures. The program also provides customized workshops for garden groups; offers a program manual; donates lumber, soil, seeds, and other materials; and encourages participants to share advice and seeds at the beginning of each growing season.