Could Farming Help Revive Detroit ?

Detroit is a city in trouble. At the height of the auto industry years ago, Detroit was a thriving metropolis. But downsizing, off-shoring and the current economic recession have hit the city hard. Official government statistics put unemployment in the city at nearly 18%, but the city's Mayor says the actual situation is much worse than that. He believes that nearly half of the city's workers are either unemployed or underemployed.

In addition, about one-third of Detroit's 376,000 parcels of land are either vacant or abandoned, with houses and factories sitting empty and decaying -- thus creating a huge and growing area of urban blight. With the current recession still raging, the establishment of new factories seems far-fetched. But Michael Score, president of Hantz Farms, thinks he may have at least a partial solution to Detroit's problems -- large-scale urban farming.

Score says, "There's so much land available and it's begging to be used. Farming is how Detroit started, and farming is how Detroit can be saved." Hantz Farms is now in the process of buying up vacant and unused parcels of land in the city, with an eye to turning them into commercial agricultural areas.

Because of the urban environment, they are not able to purchase large areas of land in one spot. So they have developed the idea of "pods". Each pod will grow a different crop, that will be determined by the quality of the soil in that pod. The best land will grow fruits and vegetables, while houses and factories will be used for hydroponic crops or mushrooms. Land that is too contaminated for food will be planted with trees -- both to beautify the city and provide a source for biofuels.

Hantz will plant their first 30 acres in the city next Spring, and hope to eventually farm over 5,000 acres within the city limits. So far, the city fathers are enthusiastic about the idea. The idea could help the city in several ways. Most obvious, of course, are the creation of jobs and the beautification of the city.

But it will also provide a badly needed source of healthy food for city residents. There are no major grocery store chains in the city, and nearly 75% of the city's residents buy their groceries at convenience stores or gas stations -- where fresh produce is almost nonexistent.

Will this urban farming solve all of Detroit's problems? No. But it certainly could help turn the city around and put it on the road to recovery.

We could use a lot more of this kind of creative thinking and innovative solutions -- not just in Detroit, but all over this country.