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Local Food & Agriculture
Transporting and refrigerating food across long distances burns GHG emitting fossil fuels. The less transportation and refrigeration needed to supply our food, the more sustainable it becomes.
Our food system is also vulnerable to impacts of climate change like extreme precipitation and heat, climate-induced invasive species, and livestock vulnerabilities.
Food insecurity—disruption of nutrition availability because of lack of money, access, or other resources—is inequitably felt. People experiencing low income are nearly three times more likely to experience food insecurity. We should anticipate that the climate change vulnerabilities of our national food system will exacerbate the inequities of food security in all communities.
Implementation is for Everyone!
Some actions in this plan will need to be led by the 
Village Board, Village departments, and/or the business community. In addition, there are steps that households and individuals can take to make an impact.
Click below to find out out the what you as a resident can do to help the Village achieve these visionary goals.
Local Food & Agriculture Strategies
Below are the specific Local Food & Agriculture goals outlined in the 2022 Environmental Sustainability Plan. Clicking on one of them will display the list of actions to be incorporated into the Village's workplans. They are broken down into completed, in-progress, and future and progress is updated quarterly.
In-Progress Actions
- Conduct a study to identify vacant properties or under-utilized plots/land area which could be transformed into urban farms or community garden plots and establish an implementation plan accordingly.
- Collaborate with schools and park district to establish a “Grow Skokie” program increasing community garden plots and establishing a “market garden” concept supporting garden and urban agriculture training and internship opportunities for youth. Program to work with local restaurants, food shelves, or others working directly with food-insecure individuals in the community for distribution of food grown in the “market garden.” Explore potential of partnering with Oakton Community College.
- Create and promote a publicly available GIS map database to locate and increase awareness of community garden locations within the community and provide contact information.
- Create and promote a publicly available GIS map database to locate and increase awareness of community garden locations within the community and provide contact information.
- Create and promote a publicly available GIS map database to locate and increase awareness of community garden locations within the community and provide contact information.
- Review/update code to provide incentives for multi-unit buildings and developments/sub-divisions and commercial developers to preserve topsoil, use finished compost for soil amendment, and provide space for backyard or community gardens.
In-Progress Actions
- Health Department and Human Services Department staff to coordinate with potential partner organizations such as The Talking Farm to identify collaboration opportunities. Particular attention will be applied to potential opportunities for food pantry and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit collaboration.
- Explore opportunities, spaces, and potential partners to expand farmers’ markets (particularly year-round market opportunities), local food hubs and marketing of locally-produced and organic foods. Efforts to focus on increased community equity and food security among at-risk populations.
In-Progress Actions
- Conduct a detailed Food Security Assessment to determine food insecurity conditions within the community, areas with limited access to full-service grocery stores and markets (particularly within areas of higher vulnerable population counts), identify areas within the community for improvement, and establish detailed strategies to increase food security community-wide.
- Conduct a detailed Food Security Assessment to determine food insecurity conditions within the community, areas with limited access to full-service grocery stores and markets (particularly within areas of higher vulnerable population counts), identify areas within the community for improvement, and establish detailed strategies to increase food security community-wide.
- Investigate feasibility of a Food Access Fund to support decreasing food waste and increasing food recovery via the Environmental Protection Agency’s Food Recovery Hierarchy through existing and new initiatives as well as private, innovative competitions. Explore partnerships between local food pantries, Skokie schools, and restaurants for ways to distribute unused food to vulnerable or food insecure individuals.
- Investigate feasibility of a Food Access Fund to support decreasing food waste and increasing food recovery via the Environmental Protection Agency’s Food Recovery Hierarchy through existing and new initiatives as well as private, innovative competitions. Explore partnerships between local food pantries, Skokie schools, and restaurants for ways to distribute unused food to vulnerable or food insecure individuals.
- Investigate feasibility of a Food Access Fund to support decreasing food waste and increasing food recovery via the Environmental Protection Agency’s Food Recovery Hierarchy through existing and new initiatives as well as private, innovative competitions. Explore partnerships between local food pantries, Skokie schools, and restaurants for ways to distribute unused food to vulnerable or food insecure individuals.
- Investigate feasibility of a Food Access Fund to support decreasing food waste and increasing food recovery via the Environmental Protection Agency’s Food Recovery Hierarchy through existing and new initiatives as well as private, innovative competitions. Explore partnerships between local food pantries, Skokie schools, and restaurants for ways to distribute unused food to vulnerable or food insecure individuals.
Questions about the Local Food and Agriculture sector? Please send an email to Sustainability@skokie.org.