Metropolitan Water Reclamation District to Promote Urban Agriculture on Their Lands
Cook County Farm Bureau® sent the following letter to MWRD Commissioner Cam Davis in support of his resolution to promote and recognize urban agriculture in Cook County.
Cook County Farm Bureau supports the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District’s (MWRD) efforts to facilitate the expansion of urban agriculture through its Green Infrastructure Partnership Program and real estate program.
Farm Bureau has a proven history of supporting food access and urban agriculture issues. Including support for Senate Bill 850, which creates the Grocery Initiative Act. The Act provides that in addition to studying food insecurity in urban and rural food deserts, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity will also establish a Grocery Initiative to expand access to healthy foods in food deserts in Illinois by providing assistance to independently owned for-profit grocery stores, as well as grocery stores owned and operated by local governmental units.
Also, House Bill 2879 creates the Illinois Farm to Food Bank Program Act and establishes the Illinois Farm to Food Bank Program within the Department of Human Services to help expand the availability of nutritious, locally grown, raised, or processed foods for Illinois' emergency food system. The bill provides that the program shall acquire and distribute agricultural products from Illinois agricultural entities or aggregators to Illinois' emergency food system, and provide grants to improve capacity of the emergency food system to allow for the proper transportation, storage, or distribution of agricultural products to underserved areas. Provides that the program shall target fruits, vegetables, meat and poultry, dairy, and eggs produced in Illinois. House Bill 2879 also creates the Farm to Food Bank Advisory Council to provide support to the program through facilitating relationship-building and partnerships between the Illinois agricultural sector and the emergency food system and other matters.
Prior to our work in Springfield on food insecurity, Cook County Farm Bureau drafted and led the passage of Farm Bureau’s first ever Food Access policy, which enabled the organization to actively support and engage in conversations about food access. On the note of policy, Cook County Farm Bureau also drafted and led the passage of Farm Bureau’s first ever Urban Agriculture policy, which has since been adopted as the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Urban Agriculture policy.
The policy provides that urban agriculture includes community gardens and urban farms. The policy supports:
- County Farm Bureaus working with units of government to develop agriculture-friendly policies.
- Using land management tools such as land banks, land trusts, conservation easements, and long-term leases on public and private lands so urban agriculture can flourish.
- Advocating for new developments to include opportunities for agriculture, including rooftop and home gardens, community gardens, and urban farms, where appropriate.
- Diverting organic waste into compost.
- Using raised beds or hydroponics to address soil-quality concerns.
- Using season extension tools such as indoor facilities and high tunnels.
- Urban agriculture sites gaining access to agricultural markets.
Given this policy, Cook County Farm Bureau looks forward to working with the MWRD to expand and promote urban agriculture opportunities.