Food is a human right, yet not all Chicagoans have equitable access to healthy, nutritiously dense, locally grown, culturally appropriate food.
The causes of food inequity are massive, complicated, and systemic. To address these issues, the Chicago Food Policy Action Council facilitates the Chicago Food Justice Rhizome Network, a group of passionate food justice advocates who participate in working groups to build a more equitable food system in Chicago. This group is not specific to those who live in or work with Chicago and is open to everyone. We welcome all who are involved or impacted by Chicago's food shed, which includes all of Cook County, Illinois, and neighboring Great Lakes states.
Interested in joining the network and working group calls? Fill out this google form.
Upcoming Events
Check back soon for news on upcoming Rhizome Network events!
Working Groups & Call Schedules
Rhizome Calls - First Thursday of every month from 3-4PM
These calls were started to foster cross collaboration between working groups. Any member of the Chicago Food Justice Rhizome Network is welcome to join these calls, even if you don’t attend any other working group calls. Rhizome calls are intended for everyone to join. Calls generally consist of a speaker to present their work to the group, Rapid Response updates, and breakout group discussions.
Resilient Food System Call
Every other Tuesday from 3-4pm CST
The Resilient Food System call serves as a space to organize and coordinate across our local food system. These calls were started to offer a space for people and organizations distributing food to collaborate. These calls were originally called “Emergency Food Assistance” but renamed “Resilient Food Systems” to reflect the group’s goal of providing nutritious, locally grown, culturally resonant foods to Chicagoans, while building a more resilient food system less vulnerable to emergencies. As political and economic pressures compound across our communities, we’re shifting what resiliency looks like. We are no longer just bouncing back, but building forward with intention. From mutual aid and emergency food distribution to policy shifts and long-term structural change, this is where we come together to assess and act.
Federal policy call
Every other Wednesday from 2-3pm CST
These calls were started to gather those who were interested in federal farm bill organizing and has recently expanded to other areas of Federal policy. The Federal Policy call offers a space for participants to get updates on federal policy, including the Farm Bill; share insight and resources about navigating federal funding; and design and advance collective and individual action to promote our policy goals at the federal level. This group is for advocates, food system organizers, and anyone interested in how strong Federal policy can support food justice!
ILlinois food policy call
Active during the Illinois Legislative Session. Upcoming Session Call Schedule is Forthcoming.
The IL Food Policy calls function as a check-in space for organizations and communities across the state who focus on legislation related to agriculture and the food system. The group tracks bills moving through the IL General Assembly and coordinates around related advocacy efforts. This group is for advocates, food system organizers, and anyone interested in how strong State-level policy can support food justice!
Rhizome Network Resource Directory
All resources, calls to action, and funding sources shared during our network working group calls are compiled in this directory. Regardless of whether or not you are a part of the network, you are encouraged to utilize this directory.
Have a resource you’d like to share with us? Let us know through this form.
background on the rhizome network
Community Agreements
- One Diva, One Mic
- No one knows everything, together we know a lot
- Move up, move aside
- We can’t be articulate all the time
- Centering a culture of care
- Be in active inquiry about how your personal identities and positions within hierarchies of privilege impact and influence collective space
- Please do what you need to do to prioritize your self-care.
- Be present
- Anticipate discomfort / hold a courageous space
Group Origins
This network was initially convened to address emergent COVID-19 needs. From the very beginning, network members expressed they wished a network like this had existed before the pandemic, so we’ve decided to continue facilitating even after the pandemic. Click here to learn more about this transition.
Anti racist resources
This group works to actively anti racist and we expect all of our members to be in constant inquiry of how their positions of privilege impact their views. Before joining this group, we encourage all of our members to review the following resources:
Why is it called the “rhizome” network?
A rhizome (also known as rootstocks) is a type of plant stem situated either at the soil surface or underground that contains nodes from which roots and shoots originate. Rhizomes are unique in that they grow perpendicular, permitting new shoots to grow up out of the ground. When separated, each piece of a rhizome is capable of producing a new plant. Some plant species which form multiple layers in a complex network. Learn more about rhizomes from this Biology Dictionary source.
While each of our individual working groups are crucial to supporting the development of a more equitable food system, if they are siloed, their impact will be stifled. We decided to call our network the Chicago Food Justice Rhizome Network because we want our network to operate similar to rhizomatic root structures. Growing horizontally, intricately interwoven, all working toward a single goal of food justice and sovereignty for the Chicagoland region.
