Once a booming industrial city during the 1950′s with a population of 1.85 million, Detroit has lost about a 1/3 of its population. The 2010 census estimates the population to be around 800,000. That translates to between 20 and 30 percent of lots in the city of Detroit being vacant. As a result, the city of Detroit has decided to demolish 10,000 abandoned homes over the next four years on account of being hazardous. Organizations such as the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network (DBCFSN) view this as an opportunity.

In an effort to put an abundance of land to productive use and start an urban agricultural movement, the DBCFSN has started an organic farm in Rouge Park, one of the largest parks in Detroit. According to the chairman of DBCFSN, Malik Yakini, the two acre D-Town farm has already cultivated 37 types of food including kale, onions, chives, squash, tomatoes, lettuce, watermelon, and peas. The organization hopes to empower Black people to grow their own healthy food and make fresh produce more accessible in Detroit. This is critical considering that most of the major supermarkets which carry fresh produce have moved to the suburbs, and city residents lack transportation to get there. If the trend is adopted, over the long term it could help reduce high rates of obesity, blood pressure and diabetes found in the African-American community. – Will Bradford

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