Urban Agriculture Issues Playing Out in Detroit

One might not picture the Motor City as a hotbed for issues dealing with the potential future of agriculture as it relates to urban environments and economies. However, thanks to the commitment of businessman John Hantz and others, Detroit has become the latest playing field for the debate on the future of urban agriculture.

Hantz views urban farming as a potential answer to Detroit's economic woes, but some nonprofit organizations believe Hantz's motivation for establishing urban farms within the city is less altruistic and more about personal profit. For his part Hantz would like to see the city take a Homestead Act approach for its vacant lands and make it easier for motivated individuals to come in and buy the land, rather than lease it, at a reasonable rate.

Some nonprofit organizations have concerns that this could lead to a land grab by wealthy individuals and businesses, so they would like to see urban agriculture lands be used with bringing communities in Detroit together as the main motivator. In Hantz's opinion that won't work because, he believes, the majority of the city does not have a community. Thus the city finds itself at a crossroads on the issues.

As John Gallagher reports in the Detroit Free Press, Hantz isn't shy about personal profit being a motivating factor for developing urban agriculture. Speaking "at a forum about urban farming at the University of Michigan-Dearborn," Hantz advocated that personal profit can be a motivator for thinking about different ways to revive Detroit's economy and getting individuals to invest in the city. For his views Hantz was met with catcalls and hissing from some in the audience, and support from others, Gallagher reports.

As this blog has previously reported, Hantz has a vision that returning to Detroit's history of farming could help the city rebound from its economic struggles. And, in fact, Detroit did start as an agricultural community. "The vision Hantz sees is a city flourishing with green life/crop production next to homes and buildings, essentially integrating agriculture into the city’s everyday life and bustle."

What makes Hantz different from others wanting to see urban agriculture grow is that he doesn't just want small plots in abandoned lots throughout the city, but he is also planning a large-scale commercial urban farm, reports Jonathan Oosting for MLive online. If the state gives its approval, Hantz will break ground on a 40-acre farm on the Michigan State Fairgrounds. However, Hantz does not believe the city is doing enough to make his vision a reality, despite Mayor Dave Bing's support for urban farming in concept, and as a way to put the city's vacant land to good use.

Al Fields, group executive of planning for Detroit, says the city is trying to integrate urban agriculture into a citywide plan that would also likely deal with zoning and tax issues for city land used for urban farming. According to Crain's Detroit Business online, the city currently has 30,000 vacant acres that amount to about 200,000 "parcels."

Will this be enough room for both nonprofit and for-profit urban agriculture advocates to achieve their goals and provide for a new economic sector to help revitalize Detroit? We shall see.

To read a previous Agricultural & Food Law and Policy Blog Post on urban agriculture in Detroit, click here.
To read the Detroit Free Press article, click here.
To read the MLive article, click here.
To read the Crain's Detroit Business article, click here.

Posted: 04/08/10