The Role of Community Colleges in Developing the Local Food System in IllinoisJulie BatesGreen Center ManagerLincoln Land Community College

IGEN Local Food Task Force ObjectiveIdentify the role the Illinois Green Economy Network (IGEN) and community colleges can play in supporting the growth of local food economies, on campus and in the community.

Task Force Members Julie Bates, Lincoln Land Community College Annie Laurie Cadmus, Waubonsee Community College David Camphouse, John Wood Community College Robert Hilgenbrink, IGEN Dr. Victoria Cooper, Wilbur Wright College Lavon Nelson, Illinois Community College Board Dara Reiff, College of Lake County Rebecca Rossi, Heartland Community College Rich Schultz, Kankakee Community College Dr. Scott Stewart, Kankakee Community College Sandra Streed, Wilbur Wright College

Advisory Team Ed Bell, owner of Bellfry Bees & Honey Jim Braun, co-president of the Illinois Local Food, Farms,

and Jobs Council Terra Brockman, founder and board president of The Land

Connection and author of The Seasons on Henry’s Farm Carrie Edgar, department head and educator of the Dane

County UW Extension Debbie Hillman, chair of the Evanston Food Policy Council Rory Klick, assistant professor of horticulture/department

chair at College of Lake County Lindsay Record, executive director of the Illinois

Stewardship Alliance

One Option for Defining Local Food“A collaborative effort to build more locally based, self-reliant food economies – one in which sustainable food production, processing, distribution, and consumption is integrated to enhance the economic, environmental, and social health of a particular place” From “Creating space for sustainable food systems: lessons from the field by Feenstra; published 2002 in Agriculture and Human Values, pp. 99-106

Report Overview Includes an overview of the state of

local food in Illinois and opportunities related to local food

Discusses opportunities for Illinois community colleges to support local food economies on campus and in their communities

Report Overview Includes information on:

What is currently being done on campuses across the state (credit and non-credit)

What local food policies colleges have in place

Challenges facing colleges moving forward with work related to local food and sustainable ag

Survey Overview Sent to representatives of all 48

community colleges 24 responses returned—representation

from rural, urban, and suburban colleges Summary in white paper includes

examples of types of classes offered, areas identified as unfulfilled workforce needs, challenges to sourcing local food on campus, and more

Survey Overview Further work needs to be done to

capture the best practices and potential needs that Illinois community colleges can fulfill related to local food.

Challenges Lack of staff time, resources, and

internal college support Lack of curriculum models for

sustainable agriculture or local food courses as well as for non-credit programs

Task Force Recommendations Academic Programs and

Coursework Develop certificate and

degree programs focused on urban, suburban, and rural agriculture.

Offer courses for established farmers seeking additional training.

Create a farm/business incubator program to provide hands-on experience for students.

Task Force Recommendations Community

Education Programs & Coursework Offer courses open

to the community on topics related to local food and sustainable agriculture.

Task Force Recommendations Community Connections

Assess the needs of the community related to local food—and collaborate where possible.

Lend support to the development and growth of cottage industries, food processing, and distribution opportunities within the larger community.

Build community gardens on campuses and in the community.

Task Force Recommendations On Campus

Create a campus-wide definition of ‘local food.’

Designate a location on the college campus to serve as a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) pickup site or farmer’s market venue.

Work with campus food providers to source local food in cafeterias, through catering, and in vending machines.

Create opportunities for student engagement with the local food movement.

What Now? Download the white paper at:

http://www.igencc.org/sites/default/files/u6/IGEN_Local%20Food%20Task%20Force%20White%20Paper_FINAL7.18.11.pdf

What Now? The IGEN Local Food Task Force is currently

identifying its next steps, which may include: Developing best practices packages (how-to

guides for colleges seeking to implement the recommendations)

Tracking current local food-related projects at colleges across the state

Building partnerships with groups and organizations seeking to accomplish similar goals across the state

Questions? Comments? Please contact Julie Bates at julie.bates@llcc.edu or 217.786.2434