Executive Committee Meeting 10-15-24

President's Report

Page 88 of 95

DETROIT GETS GREEN

Detroit Gets Green Not that long ago, entire blocks

feeds homeless people, to the sprawling D-Town Farm (2008), 7 acres northwest of the city, beehives, such as Detroit Hives and Bees in the D ( T p. 11) , and animal farms, such as Pingree Farms (2010), where the city's youngsters can get to see animals “in real life”. Some remain in the heart of the city, like Lafayette Greens (2010), which stands at the location of Lafayette Building, next to Coney Island Dog, or North Cass Community Garden (2009), in Midtown, at the corner of W. Willis St and Second Ave. All these places practice sustainable and cooperative farming techniques. Their produce is sold at a fair price in places such as the Detroit People’s Food Co-op . There is also a major plant nursery in Detroit, Brightmoor Flower Farm (2016), near the Rouge River. Not to forget the likes of Detroit Dirt (2010), which collects organic waste—including from the zoo!— to produce compost, which it then supplies to farms and gardens. T detroitpeoplesfoodcoop.com

of Detroit, including the city center, were transformed into community gardens . Occupying vacant lots, growing fresh produce, participating in a joint venture, and working together for the benefit of others are all reasons driving this practice, which has certainly evolved since the worst years of the crisis, but is still thriving in the city today. Overcoming the Food Crisis The fact is that one of Detroit’s concerns has long been, and still remains in some neighborhoods, access to food. This may seem hard to believe in a city where Eastern Market plays such an important role. And yet it’s a reality. The decline of the city meant the departure of food stores in some places. The people therefore took matters into their own hands, turning to the urban wastelands that had so often served as their playgrounds. Today, there are more than 2,200 gardens and farms in the city. Associations such as Detroit Black Food Security Network and Keep Growing Detroit are helping to support this development and educate the public. Great Diversity These cultivated spaces come in all sizes: from the small Fisheye Farm (2015), 3,600 m² in the Core City district west of Midtown and Earthworks Urban Farm (1998), 5,000 m², set up by a charity that

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Michigan Urban Farming Initiative in Midtown. J. West/Alamy/hemis.fr