Chicago's new "Growing for Chicago" initiative is one of 45 projects to be awarded a total of $26.6 million this year through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's annual Conservation Innovation Grants. The city project aims to prepare land and recruit farmers for urban farming near the planned Englewood rail trail, among other objectives. Two other Illinois entities will also receive funding — Evanston-based Iroquois Valley Farms and Fresh Coast Capital, a Chicago-based company that's launching a new program in Peoria.