Hi Everybody!
So Rachel and I decided to collaborate on our blog post this week since we have a shared interest, that being urban agricultural solutions happening in Detroit. I know we touched on Detroit a few weeks ago, but I thought it’d be nice to present the class with some concrete examples of what’s going on rather than just spewing abstracts off the top of my head. Detroit is really interesting to study because of its relative abundance of vacant land, and how many community members have confronted various disparities (lack of food access, safety, neglected land, community) through urban farming.
First, I thought this article did a good job of glossing over the community of agriculture in the city. This is a particularly good summary quote from the article in regards to Detroit’s history and why the issue of vacant land exists: “It’s a contrast that’s at the core of Detroit’s problems: with so much abandoned space, Detroit’s land has lost its value, eroding the city’s tax base and making it even harder for the city to maintain neighborhoods or keep empty lots from decaying further.”
Ok, so now here is a project started up by John Hantz of Hantz Group, an insurance and financial services company. Please watch this seven-minute video, and feel free to explore the website further:
Particularly in relation to Hannah’s discussion, what do you think of Hantz Woodlands? Is it an intrusion on those neighborhoods, an improvement, both? What do you think about brining in some of the neighbors at the end of the video? Is there a benefit to corporations and companies interacting with a community in this way, or does this sort of initiative have an implied infringing nature?
Here’s another, more community-based project called Brother Nature, a farm in Corktown started by a husband and wife couple (who also started the really cool Detroit Dirt, http://detroitdirt.org/). This video is a few years old, but since then Brother Nature has only expanded and is open to the community on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Brother Nature sells produce at the Farmers Market, as well as offers a CSA share they call a “niche” share (smaller quantity of food per share + a specialty item like pesto to make it personal = lower costs for shareholders). Here it is:
What do you think of this farm in comparison to Hantz Woodlands? I know they serve different purposes, but what about how Greg and Olivia interact with the community as opposed to the Hantz Group?
There are a multitude of other farms, projects and nonprofits focused on agriculture happening in the Motor City, including the Greening of Detroit, Keep Growing Detroit, Recovery Park, and Earthworks Urban Farm, that we could talk about, but I don’t want to bog you down with research. In all honesty, it would be ideal if we could take a trip to Detroit and simply drive around some of the neighborhoods. There are countless smaller plots that maybe just a few blocks of a neighborhood tend to and use to provide for themselves, but these types of farms don’t have videos made or articles written about them. The fact that residents of Detroit (and it seems that these are often lifetime residents) take matters into their own hands speaks to the attitude of its people, that people are acting on rather than just talking about problems. Hopefully the larger projects and nonprofits Rachel and I talk about portray, though, how urban agriculture in Detroit functions as more than just a food supply. It is about sparking a connection for the community, lowering costs for residents along with offering them work, getting groups of people with various skill sets behind a project with organization in mind, and nourishing the spirit as well as the body.
I’m excited what you all have to say about the solutions proposed by these different groups, and I’d also welcome anybody to speak about successful initiatives they’ve heard of in other urban settings and why those are unique to the specific cities in which they exist.
Thanks for your interest in what is happening in Detroit. I work for The Greening of Detroit and we are very excited about all of the possibilities with repurposing vacant land. If you are interested in learning more about our work, join us for The Greening's Bus Tour on Wednesday, June 17. Details are on www.greeningofdetroit.com. You can also email tami@greeningofdetroit.com for additional details, or for any questions.
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ReplyDeleteI personally think that what Hantz Woodlands is doing in these neighborhoods in Detroit is both intrusion and improvement. I found it very interesting that all of the neighbors that were interviewed at the end of the video seemed to be very thankful for what Hantz Farms were doing in their community. The man in the video explained earlier that he gets thanked every single day by neighbors. One neighbor said that what Hantz Farms is doing for their community “brings back some hope.” While I cannot discount these interviews, I feel like there are definitely people in these communities who do not feel completely thankful for an intrusion even if it seems like they are trying to help.
What I really like about the Detroit Dirt people is that they seem much more hands on. They seem like their know the neighborhoods they are working in. It isn’t strictly an investment for them. I like the idea of bringing in volunteers to work with them who really seem to be caring about what they are doing. Something really interesting about this second video is that they don’t talk about how they acquired the land like the Hantz Woodlands people did, but somehow through how they are connecting with the community it feels less intrusive. The way that Greg and Olivia are interacting with the community feels much more connected to Detroit than the Hantz Woodlands method.
Thank you, Annie, for bringing Detroit into our class discussion. There is so much happening there that we can bring into what we are talking about every day in class. I am really looking forward to our discussion on Thursday.
Thanks for pointing us to these two interesting ag-related initiatives. They present such different ‘solutions’ coming from very different perspectives. I’ll start by being critical of both of them…
ReplyDeleteI think the promotional video about the Hantz project tells a lot about how they’re approaching Detroit. They emphasize the destruction and the empty buildings in endless shots between the president speaking. To their business, Detroit is very much a place to improve through business. I can’t remember where I heard this – maybe in a video or article for this class (Kacey, I know we talked about it recently) – but if we come into a place with the idea that people are disadvantaged and disempowered, we will treat them differently than if we see communities as skilled and resilient and powerful. (I’m not saying that as well as I wish I could.. I’ll try to dig up that original source). My point is, the Hantz project doesn’t seem to be taking into account the people who are there, and the work that they have been doing, and the full context of why the destruction and desolation exists.
I can understand the good intentions, though. The president of the project wants to create an educational opportunity that also makes money. One of the last things he said rubbed me the wrong way; “It’s a business, and it’s going to be a part of a community.” With the tone of “…whether they like it or not.”
I’m all about consolidating and using waste beneficially, so I really appreciate Brother Nature’s idea. I appreciate his sentiment that the food system we’ve created is so detrimental and doesn’t even taste that good. I wanted to hear more of what the woman had to say – interesting that the video focused mainly on him when we heard at the beginning that she’s the one ‘steering’ (though maybe she didn’t want to be in it).
They seem to be learning along the way in a much more flexible and responsive manner that is probably more helpful to the community they’re a part of. Hantz seems to be coming in with an idea they know is right and will work.
Hmm… a lot to think about. Thanks Annie!
Thanks for bringing up that distinction between community gardening and urban farming Katherine, I think it is really important one! I find it interesting that the Hantz Farms introduction video mentions the word community multiple times but in the end they are a profit-driven company. The video includes brief feedback from members of the community but in the end the project seems to be yet another example of an urban food and farming movement closely tied to gentrification and working from an outside in perspective. At the end of the video Mike says, “It’s a business and it’s going to be part of a community.” I found this sentence problematic because it suggests that this group of manly white male power can come in and profit off of a Detroit community in such a way that would also allow them to be beneficial and healthy mechanisms of solving problems in a community to which none of them belong.
ReplyDeleteIn preparation for the day that I lead class discussion I did some reading about the work that Malik Yakini is doing through the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network. I think this is a really interesting project and provides a different side of the story of Detroit and the most powerful ways to generate change and better lives for the communities living there. As a member of the communities he is working in, Yakini lives the experiences of the community in which he is acting as a catalyst for change. I think that this level of belonging in a community is imperative in order to head up real, lasting, and truly community oriented and motivated change.
Thanks for bringing up this conversation centered more specifically around Detroit, I think it is really valuable to talk about all of this stuff in the context of a place that is so close to many of us.
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ReplyDeleteIn the Brother Nature/Detroit Dirt video, the woman said that people in Detroit have been farming for a long time, but it is only since the hipsters came in that people know about it and that the NGOs have become interested in "farming". I think this really speaks to the tension between "improvement" and ownership and the gentrification taking place in the city. I agree with Katherine that the distinction between urbanizing farming and community gardens is really important. Although, the video says that people will be able to enjoy the land, ultimately it is not owned by the community and likely its main focus will be profits for the company. I think the real goal should be to support groups like the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network with resources; invest in the community-based organizations that already exist and their work rather than starting new white centric projects or corporate profit-based investment and ownership of businesses and huge tracts of land.
ReplyDeleteThese are some really challenging questions and I am really looking forward to class discussion, thanks Annie!
I think both examples that you brought forward, Annie, are very interesting. In some ways they are very different. Hantz Woodlands is a much larger, more corporate set-up that is still seemingly very focused on profit. Detroit Dirt is a smaller organization, focused on supporting the community in a concrete way. However, despite their different structures, I was still struck that both appear to be run by white men. In a city that is overwhelmingly black, thinking critically about race and the manifestations of racism is incredibly important and I don’t think size of an organization changes those impacts. While I think it is possible that Detroit Dirt is more community focused, and therefore, hopefully more in-tune with community needs and has a better understanding of who the community is that they are working with, I wasn’t convinced by their video. It appeared to be a lot of young, white people working on a community garden. I wish that there had been more focus on Greg’s wife’s work. That could have added another dimension to their work.
ReplyDeleteA point in the Hantz Woodlands video that I found fascinating was Mike Score’s argument that his company’s project would support education and tourism. This really interests me because while I agree that the educational component is always useful, I have complicated feelings about turning sites into tourist settings. I was at the ANSO SIP symposium a couple of weeks ago and a student presented on the way tourism has shaped and dominated certain narratives about regrowth in Lowell, MA. The money and prestige that tourism creates around sites helps develop certain narratives that almost always leave out important aspects of the history or everyday life of a community. I also think that tourism, as a development tool, is also complicated because it brings in outside people in a way that often exploits the host community. Rather than investing in a place for the sake of the people who already live there, tourism tends to develop infrastructure that support these outside people.
This is a great discussion already! As someone whose only experiences with Detroit have been baseball games when I was a kid, I feel like I need to be a listener and learner in this conversation. A couple of ideas that you've all touched on that I find especially interesting:
ReplyDeleteThis idea that in order to truly support people you need to see their strengths and wisdom rather than see them simply as victims that you can "rescue." I think it's a worthy question as to whether the Hantz group is coming in to neighborhoods seeing only the "blight" rather than the strength of the people who are surviving there under difficult conditions. Also, I'm really uncomfortable with the word "blight." It sounds like a disease or a plague that has fallen upon Detroit--an act of god. I wonder using this word allows us not to talk about the reasons for what's happened in Detroit. And without truly looking at cause, can we truly find solutions?
I also found the woman involved with Detroit Dirt and Brother Nature's comments about how people in Detroit have been growing their own food since forever but now that the hipsters have moved in, it's become "cool" really interesting. I can imagine that there are a lot of people in Detroit (and elsewhere) who've been feeding themselves and their neighbors for decades and now here come these young folks talking about gardening as if they invented it!
Of course, for many people, learning to grow their own food IS a revelation, since it's been several generations since most people gardened not as a hobby, but because that was a primary means available to feed yourself. I sometimes think that more people growing at least some portion of their own food might be one of the most powerful solutions to our food systems crisis. Growing food locally, sustainably, and healthily is extremely labor-intensive. If we put all of that labor on the backs of a small fragment of our population, I'm not sure how that doesn't become exploitative. But if more people were managing smaller parcels of land, thus spreading that burden out, that's when growing food can become a nurturing rather than a depleting activity.
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ReplyDeleteI think what the Hanz Group is doing is interesting; if it is good for the community or not however, is a whole other question. The video, like some other people have mentioned threw up a few red flags for me. The first being he’s a white business man talking about make Detroit a better place, when really I’m guessing he’s going to make profit from the whole thing. From a little Google research I have found that the Hanz group started as a bank; then added financial service and insurance firms; and now also includes marketing companies, a private golf course, bowling lanes, and most recently this urban farm. Now, while I do not think that bankers, insurance companies, and marketing people are necessary bad people, the fact that those type of companies specifically have $30 million to throw around is a little concerning to me.
ReplyDeleteLooking more specifically at this project, the land was cheap ($300/acre), and I’m guessing he’s getting plenty of tax cuts. And by following the urban garden trend he stands to make more money off his fruit by marketing it that way. By locating in a poor urban community people will be eager for jobs, so if he does end up hiring people in that community I doubt they will be paid well. Even though I wonder how many jobs this will actually provide for the community members anyways? The fact that these concerns are not at all addressed in the video makes me think that he has not really thought them through yet, or has and knows his plans will be unpopular. I’m very interested to talk more about this in class! Thanks for sharing Annie!
Similar to Amy, I don’t have much experience or history with the city of Detroit. So I’m really interested to hear what you all have to say!
ReplyDeleteI do see the potential issues with Hantz Woodlands. It’s run by a white man, it’s profit-driven, and it certainly doesn’t seem to be as connected with the community as it could be. But I think it’s possible to be too cautious when planning any sort of community initiative. If we wait until everything is perfect, thinking about every single aspect and what could go wrong, I’m not sure if anyone would get anything done! Perhaps sometimes the best option is to just start, working through issues as you go. Don’t get me wrong, being aware of social justice issues and involving the community is crucial. I just think that in some cases, doing something is better than doing nothing.
I appreciated Brother Nature for using waste in the community for compost, and they do seem to be more engaged and involved with the community as compared to Hantz Woodlands. The point about younger people coming in and making gardening “cool” was interesting. It might be easy to criticize, but there are ways to see this as a positive thing! These “hipsters” can introduce gardening to people who have never been involved with it before. Also, I find it exciting that urban gardening is becoming cool and gaining popularity. Overall, if we are trying to implement solutions rather than just talking about ideas, we’ll likely have to make some compromises so those ideas can get off the ground.
Hantz, intrusion or improvement? That is a great question. I suppose it could be best answered by community members. Something that sticks out to me is their slogan next to the video: "transforming blight to beauty." - very condescending. Also the way that the neighbors thank them for transforming their surroundings. It sounds too good to be true. But I guess it really does take investors and lots of money to make big changes and if they are finding a way to make some improvements, I suppose it's better than letting abandonment rates climb higher. One question I have is, are their practices organic/sustainable?
ReplyDeleteMaking the land look better is, in my opinion, a distraction. Just as people will point to Barack Obama as an example for how far we've come in civil rights. "We can't be racist, we have a black president!" … "Our city isn't corrupt, look at all the new trees!" If it brings some jobs, I guess that's good. But based on the propaganda vibe I'm getting from this video, I am very skeptical. Interesting enough it ends with a shot of some shoes hanging from a lightpost, the international sign that drugs are sold nearby. I'm not buying it that the Hantz group is going to improve the conditions of a continually oppressed people by planting some trees. The opportunity generated is all for them, not for the people who really need it.
Brother Nature seems to be a lot different, and more in line with other resistant agriculture models that we've looked at before. Their interaction with the community is more of a dialogue. They listen to the community instead of just coming in and telling them. I like how they utilize local resources and are in tune with their surroundings, rather than just coming in and manipulating things to their liking.
Looking forward to our discussion tomorrow.
I think there is definitely a difference between the two mentalities of these organizations. The Hantz group, although I think the intentions are good, are definitely coming from the approach of look at this good thing we have done for this community and now larger companies want to help further our cause, where Brother Nature and Detroit Dirt are more along the lines of working within their community with the neighbors that they know to have a positive impact. Although I think the mentalities are a necessary consideration of both groups, I feel like I don't really want to be critical of either. Every week I feel like I'm getting wrapped up in this idea of: well at least someone is trying to do something! Although the Hantz group may be slightly misguided, I appreciate that they are not settling for inaction. I'm sort of hoping that our class discussion will be less focused on being critical of these organizations and more focused on what these two groups bring to the table in terms of solution.
ReplyDeleteI do think that its interesting that both of these videos primarily showcased white men. I would be interested in talking a bit more about the gender dynamics of agriculture. I know from my SIP that conventional ag. is a male dominated profession, but its definitely interesting that are class is mostly female.
Have you worked with either of these groups Annie? I would love to hear more about your personal experience in Detroit.
This is some really cool stuff going on in Detroit by people who care about the city. I never realized all the problems vacant land presents socially, politically, and physically. Urban agriculture has the potential to solve many of those problems. It would make the living conditions of individuals living in the inner city substantially better and would bring down power from politicians and corporations and get power back to the people. Although I believe urban agriculture can solve a lot of problems we face as a society, I wasn't too sure of some of the things Hantz said. Hantz mentioned that in ten years, people who would not think of living in Detroit will want to be living there. Thinks makes me wonder what this incredible solutions could turn into if motivated by insidious intents. Once companies (including banking companies) and the State starts making money from urban agriculture, its purpose may turn from helping individuals in struggling communities to making a revenue. This may mean that the lifestyle of the individuals who would have never moved into Detroit but are now living in Detroit because of the renovations may bring the demand for expensive companies and ultimately may the price of living too high for the individuals who were previously living in the community. The members that were pushed out will have to find other, less bourgie place to live, which will be similar to the condition of their community before the introduction of urban agriculture. I think this is such a great and fantastic idea, and that is why I hope this stays in the hands of the people and the communities in Detroit and its purpose remains to benefit the communities of Detroit.
ReplyDeleteI initially really liked the Hantz initiative. However, when watching the video, although there seemed to be support, I noticed that the group seemed to be working from an outside in perspective. They seemed like they wanted to "help" the “communities” but did not know how to fully involve the members of those communities or understand their greatest needs. Overall, I appreciated the idea from Hantz but did not feel connected to it because it was not initiated by the community, thus had other motives (i.g. profit) that are likely of higher value than simply to be of benefit to the community. This somewhat falls into the idea of “white savior” groups, where the intentions are good but actions do not reflect the actual needs of the community.
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea of community based gardens where the members of the community are sharing the benefits and burdens of having that space. Brother Nature really sparked my interest. I think the values of this organization have the potential to really uplift, rejuvenate and generate energy into areas. I am glad that this was brought up and that Annie gave us a few similar but different ideas about what is going on around the corner. I m excited for our discussion!
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ReplyDeleteI really appreciated you providing us with the opportunity to compare these two distinct organizations. The major initial difference I saw between Hanz Woodlands and Brother Nature was the way the representatives of the two groups talked about Detroit. The Hanz man made several comments like ‘why would people want to live here now’ and used many negative adjectives to paint the current situation as desperate and deteriorating. His tone insinuated that Hanz Woodlands will be the saving grace to Detroit communities. The Brother Nature organization immediately felt much more integrated with community members. I think the Brother Nature video showed a more engaging and interactive approach to a green urban initiative. Had the Hanz Woodlands video shown more than just that one man and shots of old houses then maybe it would have been more convincing.
ReplyDeleteI think intrusive is a one way to describe what the Hanz group is doing. It was hard for me to tell at times if their goal was purely enhancing aesthetics or actually making practical changes with consideration of the neighborhoods wants and needs. I do think that the providing jobs aspect is valuable and the comments that the neighbors made seemed genuine. However the approach and overall tone of the organization seems very top down. On the other hand, Brother Nature seemed to more closely align with the ‘local solutions to local problems’ concept that Rachel brought up. The couple in the video saw a demand for compost from residents and wanted to incorporate local businesses into an effective solution for local people. Overall I think it is great that so many urban gardening programs exist in Detroit and even though the nature of Hanz Woodlands could be viewed as intrusive I think on some levels it is good to know that people are trying to implement some form positive action and support the local economy.
I do not know a lot about Detroit so I am very interested to learn from you all tomorrow.
I'm really interested to talk about this tomorrow! My family has lived in the Detroit suburbs my entire life, but I really have very little connection to the city itself. I think I've only been to downtown Detroit a handful of times.
ReplyDeleteI certainly think we need to find a balance between assisting a community and coming in as outsiders with our own ideas of how to "fix the problem." This is something that my RTW Gardens class with Amelia Katanski talked about a lot last spring. I also had the opportunity to work at Pretty Lake Farm and talk a lot with Jenny Doezema, the farm director about how she was working to increase food access in southwest Michigan. She talked a lot about the importance of getting community members engaged in the process of growing their own food and potentially creating a mobile market where they can take some back to their neighborhoods.
In that sense, I think Detroit Dirt seems to have a lot more potential than Hantz farms for rebuilding community while also fostering economic growth. Hantz farms also seemed to focus a lot on planting trees - but are these fruit trees? Why can't we beautify the city while also using the land for production of healthy foods?