Detroit, MI
Detroit’s urban farmers look to jump-start city’s food economy
Urban farmers in Detroit get a boost
The city is appointing a head of urban farming for Detroit to help its thousands of community gardens and farmers get more help.
DETROIT (FOX 2) – The mayor of Detroit is appointing a head of urban farming in the city to help give its community gardeners a boost and more representation.
That, mixed with a boost in federal funds means big things for Detroit’s urban farmers.
“It’s gonna send a message around the country that this is how you do this,” said Jerry Hebron.
Hebron is the executive director at Oakland Avenue Urban Farm, one of 2,000 urban farms and community gardens in the area. She’s among many responsible for the flowering gardens and productive land that’s helping turn Detroit dirt into crops that one day will be fed into local grocery stores and restaurants.
Hebron says it’s indicative of a larger identity the city should own.
“The most exciting that’s happening is Detroit is still leading the nation in urban ag,” she said. “When we started this work back in 2009, it was all about addressing food insecurity, but we also have a rigorous work force development program here.”
Young people, returning citizens, and people who may need work are all part of the program. DaCoriona Cooper who works at the farm is a testament to that.
“Watching the young people and seeing their faces light up, they planted this three weeks ago, she said.
The USDA is investing $40 million into partnerships and community-based organizations for urban farms. The funds, coming from the American Rescue Plan, are key to keeping Detroit’s urban farms in tact, says the city’s chief operations officer.
“Urban areas can be blamed for people not being aware where their food comes from,” Brad Dick said. “We’re also using this as a blight flight for the city too. If you have a nice farm with vegetables and flowers and stuff like that, that looks much better than an empty lot.”
He added that grocery stores like Meijer and local restaurants could also benefit from the growth.
“This is also gonna be a jump start to the food economy in Detroit,” Dick said. “We envision the urban ag director really working hard with restaurants and stores like Meijer and other places in the city to bring food into their stores that’s grown locally.”