3 minute read
3 Urban-Rural Connection
#3
Agriculture drives our Illinois economy. The food we eat nourishes our bodies, and sharing good meals with neighbors feeds our souls. Intentionally focusing on our urban-rural connections—a centerpiece of The Next 10—will bring us closer together.”
Advertisement
LIZ MORAN STELK
Executive Director, Illinois Stewardship Alliance
Urban-Rural Connection
Urban-rural partnerships can provide municipalities resources in areas that would otherwise not receive commercial investment, and can build prosperity and cohesion from the bottom-up through reciprocal actions by rural communities. There are many potential partnerships to be had between Springfield and communities in the region. A reimagining of our most important agricultural and community assets, and support for increased collaborations to build localized economies around food to address food resiliency, economic prosperity, health and wellness, are part of The Next 10.
The Illinois State Fair has been celebrated
almost every year since 1853. The Fair is held annually at the Illinois State Fairgrounds over an 11-day period in mid-August. The Fairgrounds,
added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990, encompasses 366 acres of
land. Notable venues include a 13,000-capacity grandstand and the Illinois State Fairgrounds Racetrack.
There’s nothing like going to the Illinois State Fair in the summer. But what happens at the Fairgrounds in between our most famous annual event? As a significant site of history and tourism, and a place where we celebrate our agricultural roots, you shared through The Next 10 that the Fairgrounds can become something even more—a place that becomes a year-round center of social and economic activity for the city and region. Reimagining the Illinois State Fairgrounds requires a partnership with the State of Illinois to establish a strategy to invest in improvements, developments and programming. This strategy can address: • A vision for what the Fairgrounds can become • Infrastructure needs • How new development can support the vision (e.g. facilities, hotels, amenities) • Increased year-round programming and activation • Opportunities to support agricultural innovations and learning
Promising Ideas
» Create more opportunities to connect people and businesses to local food sources
» Increase broadband access throughout Central Illinois » Bring Nourish Springfield, a kitchen incubator and shared commercial kitchen space, to completion
Establish The Springfield Region As The Farm-To-Table Capital Of The World
The farm-to-table movement broadly refers to food made from locally-sourced ingredients, often natural or organic. As a growing movement, its focus is largely on creating local and regional partnerships between growers and end users (from markets to restaurants to individual buyers). Establishing regional connections is a complex process that involves understanding current supply chains and costs, and then creating systems and policies to overcome the challenges and leverage the opportunities. The outcomes can be significant, creating new economic opportunities, building community resilience, diversifying local crop production, and creating positive environmental impacts—all while serving the freshest of foods to our families. You expressed a commitment to building bridges between our urban and rural communities, and in the process becoming a global model for agricultural research, education and even tourism, and The Next 10 can bring together community and regional partners to realize that.
Agriculture is the number one industry in Illinois in terms of economic impact, contributing nearly $9 billion to the state’s economy annually. About 1.5 million workers are employed in the food industry system, ranking Illinois as one of the top agricultural states in dependency on agriculture. The state’s 72,500 farms utilize 75% of Illinois land, including some of the most fertile soil in the world. The state is the largest producer of horseradishes and pumpkins, but the abundance and variety of agricultural products grown in Illinois make it one of the leading states in terms of crop diversity, and helps to make the state a place that international buyers seek
out when selecting new suppliers.
