I recently attended my first board meeting for the Illinois Stewardship Alliance (ISA). The Alliance seeks to promote local food and connect local farmers with restaurants and institutions that can use their products. The ISA also serves as a lobbying group in Springfield.

It was great to be part of a group of like-minded individuals, trying to make a difference for small-scale farms.

Mission: Illinois Stewardship Alliance promotes environmentally sustainable, economically viable, socially just, local food systems through policy development, advocacy, and education.

Vision: We envision a system where soils are treated as a precious resource, local food producers earn a fair, living wage, local food education is integrated into all levels of education, infrastructure is rebuilt to accommodate local food systems and good food is available for all.

Illinois Stewardship Alliance (ISA) is a membership-based organization. If you are local food producer, concerned citizen or food-systems related organization, we invite you to join us! Alliance members span the state and have one thing in common: they all care about the food that is produced and consumed in Illinois and want to support the increase of fresh, local foods. Click here to find out how you can become part of the Alliance.

Donor Policy: Illinois Stewardship Alliance receives grant funding and donations from entities that have a mission that aligns with our basic tenets (see above)