Mission: Illinois Stewardship Alliance cultivates a local food and farm system that is environmentally sustainable, economically viable, and socially just.

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 is a statewide, membership-based organization. If you are a 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 where their food comes from and the people who raise it.

To create lasting change, the Alliance approaches the food system as a whole, working in three main areas:

Local Food: Our local food programs, such as our Buy Fresh Buy Local campaign and September Eat Local Challenge, help drive demand for locally grown food and connect the public to local food in their communities.

Conservation: Our conservation programs connect row crop farmers to the tools and resources they need to implement conservation practices on their land in a manner that is economically viable and environmentally sustainable.

Policy: The Alliance works on a number of food and farming related policy issues on both the state and federal level in order to support diversified farming and increase access to fresh, locally-grown food. Our on-the-ground work through our local food and conservation programs helps inform our policy efforts. Through grassroots organizing, we have passed 12 laws since 2012.

Some of our major programs and work include:

The Buy Fresh Buy Local Central Illinois chapter: A chapter of farmers, restaurants, retailers, and distributors dedicated to opening up new markets for farmers and connecting consumers to the farms and businesses where they can find locally-grown food. More info at www.buyfreshbuylocalcentralillinois.org

Policy Work: The Alliance works on a number of food and farming related policy issues on both the state and federal level in order to support small farmers and increase access to fresh, locally-grown food.

Conservation Work: The Alliance works to increase land and water conservation practices among row crop farmers through field days, presentations, and various other educational materials.