Advancing Food Equity in Chicago

The City’s Food Equity Agenda is a multi-year effort, crafted in partnership with a cross-section of community and City representatives, to transform the food system by removing barriers to urban farming, supporting BIPOC food entrepreneurs, and better connecting residents with nutrition programs and healthy, affordable food.

During the on-going pandemic and resulting economic downturn, City and community food system experts worked to address economic hardship and poverty, including the rising rates of food insecurity in our city. As food and nutrition insecurity was a problem even before the pandemic, it is critical that Chicago make the structural changes needed so that every Chicagoan has access to healthy and affordable food and that food becomes an engine for community wealth building. In the wake of the pandemic, Chicago has an opportunity to become an equitable food city – one that leverages vacant land for urban farming and that catalyzes wealth building through support for food businesses.