Urbana, Ill. —  The new Illinois Regenerative Agriculture Initiative (IRAI) is inviting interested farmers, researchers, nonprofit groups, and others with a stake in resilient agriculture and food production to join its second public meeting on April 9.

Launched in October at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, IRAI is a home for regenerative agriculture research, education, and outreach. With support from Fresh Taste, it will gather stakeholders on campus and beyond to create agriculture and food systems resilient to climate change, improve soil and water quality, support healthy communities, and enhance food security. 

A major part of the initiative is facilitating ongoing conversations with key actors in the food system network, including producers, landowners, end users, scientists, nongovernmental organizations, technology firms, policy makers, the financial sector, and experts in related disciplines.

IRAI organizers hope interested researchers, farmers, and organizations will join the April 9 online discussion as IRAI releases its first Request for Proposals. The meeting will be used to answer questions and network for shared understanding and team development as the project takes its next steps. 

IRAI is a partnership between the U of I Department of Crop Sciences; College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences; Extension, and the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE).

Registration via Zoom is open at this link.

To learn more about IRAI: https://sustainability.illinois.edu/research/illinois-regenerative-agriculture-initiative/