I recently returned from four days in Detroit, MI for “Taking Root,” the National Farm to Cafeteria Conference. I was there with my FoodShare team presenting on the Field to Table Schools programs. The conference was probably the best coordinated I have ever been to…particularly unique about this one was the many opportunities for off the beaten track programming…a baseball game, a movie night, field trips, and even a service project building a school garden! But, being the out-of-line gang we generally are…we didn’t always stick to the schedule, instead opting to do some exploring of our own from time to time. Between the planned and unplanned adventures, I saw a lot of Detroit in very little time. I can confidently say that Detroit is like no other city I have visited.

A picture speaks a thousand words, but I’ll do my best with a couple hundred.

Simply put, Detroit is a city of contrasts. Walking down the eerily quiet streets, I felt as if I was on a movie set. The striking architecture of the roaring 20’s which lines the wide boulevards conjures up the Motown magic that once lit this place up at night. At the water’s edge stand the General Motors towers – a maze of buildings framed in steel and glass – proudly…almost defiantly… jutting 72 floors into the sky.  The towers are futuristic…eerily Orwellian…their cool glass walls reflect the making of an auto empire in economy and spirit. Now, they are almost ghostly, set against near empty streets and a litany of neighbourhoods crumbling into disrepair.

Despite the many contrasts, there are few contradictions.  After all, this kind of disparity may very well be expected when you cultivate an economic garden with only one crop. And then a dry spell comes along and wipes it out.

Left in the wake is a devastated ecosystem: towns with 50-60% vacancy rates and populations shrunk to half of what they once were has left many boarded up homes and demolition crews with lots to do. Food deserts, the absence of access to affordable grocery stores with healthy food, is a real problem here. Supermarkets stick to the more moneyed ‘burbs or outskirts, leaving decrepit ‘convenience’ stores to sell empty calories of candy and carbs in exchange for food stamps. It is no wonder, then, that Michigan ranks third in America for its obesity rates.

But nature is a resilient being, as are the people here. And this ecosystem is remaking itself little by little. Conference field trips showcased some of the new life this damaged ecosystem is sprouting. My trip visited Flint, MI – known to be one of the hardest hit towns by the auto industry bottom-out. This place was once the home of GM’s Buick factory for North America. Now, its overgrown parking lot speaks to the abandonment the residents feel of its departure. Our tour stopped off at four food garden projects that strive to fill a fresh produce void for locals while engaging youth in cultivating dreams, skills, and the soil.

• Youth Farm Stand Project at Holmes Middle School uses a solar powered aquaponics system
• Harvesting Earth Educational Farm, Genesee County, MI
• Mr. Rogers Garden Program, Genesee County, MI
• Urban Youth Community Outreach’s Andrew Lilly Garden, Flint, MI

A definite highlight was helping prep the beds in a school food garden. After much reluctance on their part, we managed to recruit some of the students to help! One young girl’s life was quite possibly transformed…she went from refusing to touch a worm, saying “Eew, I hate worms!” to “I LOVE worms!” in the span of an hour.