The Southeast Michigan Sustainable Business Forum (SMSBF) hosted an intimate gathering of food entrepreneurs from the surrounding area at Recovery Park to discuss ways to grow and expand the urban farming and the local food economy in the region. The purpose of the gathering was to learn about best management practices, share ideas and experiences and network with those leading food entrepreneurs working hard to grow our local food economy. A fresh lunch was provided by the host, Recovery Park, which is in the process of growing locally sourced fruits and vegetables to sell to restaurants, groceries, farmers markets and others in the budding urban food industry.
Once attendees located Recovery Park’s pilot farm, great networking and conversations took place about who was attending the event and what they expected to get out of the informal gathering. Recovery Park’s urban farm is part of an industrial complex long since abandoned for its original purpose. This adaptive reuse is but one of many ideas planned for rebuilding our local economy from a monolithic industrial city to a city that is multi-faceted and more resilient to the ups and downs of the automobile industry. While this pilot farm has only one hoop style greenhouse and small scale urban farm projects ongoing, it’s a start of an effort to show a successful business plan for such use.
Following introductions and lunch, attendees were given a short tour of the urban agriculture greenhouse, currently growing all types of vegetables and fruit. The guide provided a clear background and history of Recovery Park as well as the opportunity to diversify Detroit’s economy, including a substantial urban farm movement. According to statistics, at least 30 square miles of Detroit’s 138 square mile territory is vacant. That’s a lot of open space to repurpose over the next generation or two.
As the conversation unfolded, attendees spoke of some of the challenges faced by the early urban farm adopters, including: legalization, education, city water and electricity, community support, locating appropriate land and bureaucracy of the city. Others spoke of some of the support networks already available, including: Detroit Land Bank, State Land Bank, Green Task Force, The Greening of Detroit, Keep Growing Detroit and the neighborhood associations supporting urban agriculture with open lots program. Because of so many early challenges, many of the early successes have been driven underground as they may be illegal, have zoning problems or otherwise lack community support. For this reason, it’s difficult to get an unbiased view of where the urban ag movement really stands in Detroit at this time.
The conversations started at the SMSBF “Food for Talk” event are important and need to continue if Detroit is going to be “ground zero” in the urban farming movement. No other city in the entire world has the massive opportunity and the dozens of available square miles to have an impact on urban farming as the Motor City. It will take much more talk …. and action to begin to coordinate these early efforts into a true “movement” which allows the city to recreate local food systems in order to contribute to its inhabitants’ health and welfare. Stay tuned !
ROBERT E. MATTLER, Associate Broker, Attorney and LEED AP BD&C, is Director of Green Brokerage at Armada Real Estate Services in West Bloomfield, Michigan. He speaks, writes and reports about emerging green real estate and development issues in Michigan and elsewhere. Bob is a senior correspondent for www.greeningdetroit.com . For more information, contact Bob at Armada Real Estate (248) 762-4370; or by e-mail: bmattler@armadarealestate.com .