What Happened?
Detroit residents are growing produce throughout the city to support their families, as the municipality tries to rebuild after filing for bankruptcy protection. The growing urban farming community is battling to create jobs and improve the health of residents by introducing locally-produced fruits and vegetables for sale and consumption.
So What?
In the past decade, the city has lost nearly 500,000 jobs while the state of Michigan maintains the lowest employment growth rate in the country. As a result of the economic downturn and loss of jobs, Detroit has vast expanses of open land where factories and other businesses used to stand. This available space has created opportunities in urban farming that could help sustain the community and spur economic recovery.
The Strategy
Despite having filed for bankruptcy, Detroit is in no way giving up on revamping the community. The Detroit Works Project is a long-term planning initiative set in place by community leaders looking to transform the city through economic growth, the development of neighborhoods, profitable public land use, efficient city systems and civic engagement on all projects. Within the strategy of the Detroit Works Project is a push to convert abandoned, public spaces into rich farmland.
Because Detroit has spent so many decades supporting the automotive industry, factories became the staple use of land to meet economic needs. Now that the automobile companies have left Detroit city limits, residents are able to transform the municipality’s culture and economic foundation, which opens doors for a more agricultural-based means of development.
To test the potential payout of growing more food within Detroit, Fair Food Foundation conducted a study into the economic needs and impact of such a transformation. The report revealed shifting 20 percent of food spending toward urban farming would:
- Add $500 million more in annual cit output
- Create more than 4,700 jobs
- Generate $125 million more in earnings
- Collect $20 million more in business taxes annually
If 20 percent of food spending were to be shifted to urban farming development in the five counties surrounding Detroit as well, the report estimated:
- Regional output would grow to $3.5 billion
- About 36,000 jobs would be created
- $900 million more in earnings would be provided
- $155 million more collected in business taxes
Urban Farming Expanding
The boom of city-based agricultural projects is not limited to the East Coast or Midwest. Researchers at UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs recently mapped out urban farming initiatives in Los Angeles County, which houses more than 1,200 sites. The urban farming projects include 761 school gardens, 382 commercial farms and 118 community gardens. Based on the success of many of these projects, the researchers hope to collect and share best practices with other communities battling economic difficulties in the region. Many areas in Los Angeles County have lenient agriculture zoning restrictions, creating opportunities for residents to grow organic produce and raise healthy animals.
Growing The Green
Gov1 has tracked the use of public funding to support urban farming initiatives, as well as zoning efforts to remove barriers.