Food and Agriculture

Strategic Priority

Maintain a safe and accessible food, fibers, and biofuel supply.

Signature Initiative

Supporting the coordination and capacity building necessary for producing and maintaining economically viable, safe, equitable, culturally responsive, and resilient food, feed, fiber, and bioenergy systems in Illinois.

Initiative Summary

Illinois Extension will facilitate coordination and capacity building for Illinois farmers, ranchers, producers, suppliers, distributors, and others within the food and agriculture system through education, research, and outreach.

Extension efforts will support the strengthening of a resilient food, feed, fiber, and bioenergy system by addressing issues including but not limited to crop/livestock management practices; food safety and accessibility; soil and water conservation; farm business management; expanding and diversifying operations and markets; and succession planning.

To achieve these goals, Extension will establish new or support existing partnerships with public and private entities and individuals to address obstacles identified in the needs assessment process through directed education, research, and/or outreach.

Key Actions

Enhance foundational educational programs and industry-driven training that promote safe, sustainable, and tech-enabled production and distribution of food and agricultural products.
Expand and support consumer and producer education to increase equitable access to and reduce waste of healthy, locally produced foods, thereby improving nutrition.
Provide educational resources and programming to inform and support the development of local and regional food aggregation, distribution, and waste recycling networks.
Provide educational resources and programming for farm business planning to promote entrepreneurship and support succession planning.
Develop partnerships and collaborations with organizations working to develop and support regional food production and distribution systems.
Develop stakeholder group-specific communication/marketing/dissemination strategies, educational materials, and outreach efforts for different contexts and production scales (e.g., commodity agriculture, small farms, urban agriculture, and community gardens).
Facilitate local farmer peer learning networks to exchange information/resources and define local education/outreach needs.
Facilitate organizational development and strategic planning for food producer/distributor networks to improve access to resources and improve supply chain coordination.
Develop a mentorship program between youth that do not live on farms but have interest in working in agriculture and farmers with capacity to support their projects.
Development of programming support for emerging food, feed, fiber, and/or bioenergy crops and production systems

Key Outcome Measures

Number and type of education and outreach programs developed and delivered
Number and demographic of participants reached, including food/agriculture demographic (e.g., consumer, landowner, farmer, etc.)
Parity analysis of participants and organizations reporting increased knowledge and/or adoption of recommended practices after completing an Extension training program regarding food and agriculture.
Levels of engagement (e.g., views, sessions, etc.) of digital educational materials and/or media items
Number of partnerships with local food system entities, existing and new, including local, state, regional, and national
Number of and engagement in collaborative educational programs and materials produced
Number of units with active farmer peer learning groups
Attendance and demographic info
Number of new educational materials produced, or research studies conducted due to input from farmer peer learning groups
Knowledge gained from a peer
Number of organizations for which strategic planning services were provided.
Change in resources acquired by partner organizations
Longevity of producer/distributor networks
Number of counties who have youth participate in Food & Ag-related sessions during Illini Summer Academies
Number of counties who have youth participate in 4-H state Food & Ag related projects and events.
Number of developed resources for county 4-H staff to guide families through the mentorship pathway
Equitable socioeconomic and geographical diversity represented on the Food and Ag-related 4-H youth leadership teams
Number, percent, and parity analysis of participants in 4-H Food and Ag programs
Number of 4-H youth pursuing UIUC certificate programs
Number of new programs developed

Key Impacts

Primary

Enhanced Knowledge and Adoption of Best Practices – Expanded education and training will equip farmers, consumers, and stakeholders with sustainable, tech-enabled agricultural practices, improving food production, distribution, and waste management.

Secondary

Stronger Collaboration and Resilient Food Systems – Partnerships, peer networks, and strategic planning will enhance coordination, resource sharing, and equitable access to locally produced food, ensuring long-term sustainability.

Rationale

One in five jobs in Illinois is in the food and agriculture sector, contributing multiple billions of dollars in annual revenue. Yet, inadequate coordination across local, state, and regional food and agricultural system infrastructure challenges the ability of Illinois to maintain a resilient food, feed, fiber, and bioenergy supply. Illinois Extension is specifically designed to build collaborative partnerships with stakeholders that inform and leverage research and technology from the university and its partners to support the coordination and capacity building among producers, suppliers, distributors, consumers, policymakers, and other stakeholders necessary for a resilient food, feed, fiber, and bioenergy supply.