Poor leadership has allowed food deserts. Urban agriculture can provide quick relief in Chicago.

Urban agriculture has the potential to transform food deserts and provide access to healthy food for every neighborhood. Chicago has the land, water, soil and ingenuity to enhance food security for all residents.

By Willie Wilson
Special to the Chicago Tribune
July 30, 2026

The closure of seven Save A Lot stores in neighborhoods on the South and West sides of Chicago is a déjà vu moment. In November 2022, a Whole Foods store in Englewood closed its doors after receiving $10.7 million in taxpayer assistance through then mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Fast-forward to July 25, when the Save A Lot stores closed their doors in underserved communities. The closures highlight the economic mismanagement and lack of leadership at City Hall. Former Mayor Lori Lightfoot was responsible for the deal with Yellow Banana four years ago, which partnered with Save A Lot to renovate and open the stores and received a $13.5 million city grant.

Mayor Brandon Johnson touted the bold idea of city-run grocery stores as a way to eliminate food deserts. However, he failed to apply for a state grant that would have helped open stores. The mayor then seemingly abandoned the idea. Johnson was aware of the financial difficulty Yellow Banana was experiencing and it appears he did very little to stop the store closures. Did he reach out to Gov. JB Pritzker or Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle for advice and help?

The fallout from economic mismanagement and poor leadership of elected officials will be felt by all residents of Illinois, but especially those living in food deserts.

The communities on the South and West sides are left in a worse position — leaving some residents without a grocery store for miles. Access to healthy, affordable food is a necessity for any community to thrive. The phrase “you are what you eat” simply means that the food we put in our bodies affects our physical health, energy levels and overall well-being.

Johnson, Pritzker, Preckwinkle, Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch and Senate President Don Harmon know where food deserts exist. The siloed approach to decision making regarding this issue has not worked. Why have elected leaders allowed food deserts in certain communities for decades? Where is the sense of urgency to address one of the great civil rights issues of our time — unequal access to healthy, affordable food?

Leaders must know that studies show a lack of access to nutritious food contributes to higher rates of diet-related illness, including diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and heart disease. Healthy food, employment, housing, healthcare access, transportation, clean air, water, violence and literacy are significant social drivers of health. These factors are better achieved through public- and private-sector collaboration.

Food deserts shorten life expectancy and drive up health care costs and disparities. The disinvestment in neighborhoods has exacerbated health disparities and led to the highest life expectancy gap in the United States of 20.7 years between West Garfield Park and the downtown Loop. The lack of access to healthy food is a factor in the disproportionate cancer rates on Chicago’s South Side where cancer is the second leading cause of death.

Food deserts require community-wide solutions. While infrastructure like new grocery stores takes time, local organizations have the ability to scale and respond right now with urban agriculture.

Vacant lots, buildings and other land throughout the South and West sides provide an opportunity to unleash urban farming with the goal of getting fresh fruits and vegetables to every neighborhood. Urban agriculture through community gardens, rooftop farms, hydroponic and aquaponic systems, as well as vertical farming, are all a part of the solution to address food insecurity. We must go big to have a measurable impact.

Urban agriculture has multiple benefits — it provides jobs, stabilizes communities, promotes healthy eating and helps restore our environment.

The following are suggestions to bring healthy food to every neighborhood in Chicago:

Johnson should propose a single standalone budget line item for urban agriculture. An independent assessment should be done to determine what amount of investment will have the most impact. The investments should fund urban farmers and programs in public schools.

Preckwinkle should expand Cook County’s food access allocation to include more aid for urban agriculture. The president should connect urban farmers to the Cook County Health and Hospital procurement system.

Pritzker should increase the amount allocated to the Illinois Department of Agriculture for urban and small scale farming initiatives. The amount appropriated in 2025 was about $2 million.
Johnson, Pritzker and Preckwinkle should work collaboratively to end food deserts by utilizing their combined budgets.

Faith and community leaders should consider the food co-op model.
Elected leaders should incentivize Albertsons, parent company to Jewel-Osco, to open additional stores on the South and West sides.

Elected leaders should incentivize online grocery delivery services, like Jewel-Osco, Aldi’s, Mariano’s and Instacart, to expand delivery services to areas considered food deserts.

Every community deserves an opportunity to thrive; that begins with access to healthy food. Households without a car are especially vulnerable when the closest grocery store is many miles away.

Urban agriculture has the potential to transform food deserts and provide access to healthy food for every neighborhood. Chicago has the land, water, soil and ingenuity to enhance food security for all residents.

We need elected leaders who understand business and the importance of working collaboratively to ensure every neighborhood has access to healthy and affordable food.

I write this commentary to make those comfortable with allowing food deserts to exist uncomfortable.

Willie Wilson is a business owner, philanthropist and former mayoral candidate.

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Source: https://cityfarmer.info/poor-leadership-has-allowed-food-deserts-urban-agriculture-can-provide-quick-relief-in-chicago/