Local Food Could Trigger $30 Billion in Illinois Economic Activity

      Posted On: March 11, 2009

A statewide task force report delivered to the Illinois General Assembly presents a local farm-and-food development strategy that experts say could trigger $20 to $30 billion in new economic activity every year, creating thousands of new jobs while revitalizing rural communities. The report of the Illinois Local and Organic Food and Farm Task Force concludes that even small increases in the amount of food grown for local consumption can generate an enormous amount of new economic activity, all of it within the state, for farmers and others in food-related businesses. The report presents a strategy for increasing the amount of money spent on Illinois-grown food to 10 percent of the statewide total by 2020 and to 20 percent by 2030. Legislation has been filed in both the House and Senate to get key elements of the plan underway. The full report and an executive summary are both available online at the Local Food, Farms & Jobs website.