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Spotlight on the Illinois Regenerative Agriculture Institute

Organization Name: Illinois Regenerative Agriculture Institute at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Location: Urbana, Illinois

Service Area: Illinois

Mission: The Illinois Regenerative Agriculture Institute (IRAI) engages all University of Illinois campus assets relevant to regenerative agriculture’s diverse land-based and community outcomes, emphasizing: building new collaborative relationships among Illinois scholars to conduct actionable research and train the next generation of practitioners in Regenerative Agriculture (capacity); connecting the stakeholder and the academic community in sustained two-way dialogs about research and education, and challenges to adoption and measuring impact (relationships); and heightening the visibility and impact of the Illinois Regenerative Agriculture Initiative and secure sustained financial support (sustainability).

Organization Description: IRAI is a partnership between the University of Illinois Department of Crop Sciences, the College of ACES, U of I Extension, and iSEE. In Fall 2020, IRAI was launched as a new home for regenerative agriculture research, education, and outreach. IRAI receives grant support from Fresh Taste, and brings together stakeholders from within and beyond the university to create agriculture and food systems resilient to climate change, improve soil and water quality, support healthy communities, and enhance food security.

Program Highlights

Current Work

IRAI is working to form a well-rounded vision of what regenerative agriculture means by connecting people from across the research, production, and industry portions of the agriculture sector. In 2021, IRAI offered multiple seed grants in an open request for proposals. These competitive grants were awarded to interdisciplinary teams of Illinois scholars and farming or food system stakeholders who address key metrics of regenerative agriculture: soil health parameters; on-farm biodiversity; or community health and resilience.

Who We Work With

Key actors in the food system network: producers, landowners, value chains, end users, scientists, NGOs, technology firms, policy makers, the financial sector, and experts in the purposive disciplines (art, philosophy, etc.)

The Problem

The way agriculture is currently practiced is not sustainable and leaves out many voices. IRAI is tackling the question of how we make a version of agriculture where everyone feels they have a stake and is a participating member, while simultaneously providing robust nutrition and stewarding environmental health.

The Solution

IRAI is working to increase regenerative agriculture practices through comprehensively addressing the network of stakeholders involved in the industry. We are working to remove roadblocks to collaboration between the university research community and the broader community of agriculture stakeholders.

Something Special

As an interdisciplinary program at a leading university, IRAI is uniquely positioned to form broader and deeper connections between the university research community and the broader community in the agriculture industry.

Challenges

IRAI is trying to move the needle on some very lofty goals. Culture change is hard. Bringing all stakeholders to the table, particularly those who have complicated histories, is a delicate endeavor.

Inspiration – What gets you excited about this work?

The IRAI team are inspired by our hope for a better way of living, both on a human scale and on a planetary scale.

Key Takeaway

The IRAI team is open to every perspective. Our model for engaging with the agriculture community is to move from a prescriptive approach to an adaptive approach. We employ flexibility and consideration as we work to achieve our goals.

Contact Information

Anya Knecht, Associate Director of IRAI

knecht2@illinois.edu

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