TED2017
Devita Davison: How urban agriculture is transforming Detroit
Filmed:
Readability: 4.6
1,196,842 views
There's something amazing growing in the city of Detroit: healthy, accessible, delicious, fresh food. In a spirited talk, fearless farmer Devita Davison explains how features of Detroit's decay actually make it an ideal spot for urban agriculture. Join Davison for a walk through neighborhoods in transformation as she shares stories of opportunity and hope. "These aren't plots of land where we're just growing tomatoes and carrots," Davison says. "We're building social cohesion as well as providing healthy, fresh food."
Devita Davison - Food activist
At FoodLab Detroit, Devita Davison supports local entrepreneurs and imagines a new future for food justice. Full bio
At FoodLab Detroit, Devita Davison supports local entrepreneurs and imagines a new future for food justice. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:13
I'm from Detroit.
0
1000
1200
00:15
(Applause)
1
3200
3696
00:18
A city that in the 1950s
was the world's industrial giant,
was the world's industrial giant,
2
6920
5000
00:24
with a population of 1.8 million people
3
12760
2736
00:27
and 140 square miles
of land and infrastructure,
of land and infrastructure,
4
15520
4576
00:32
used to support this booming,
Midwestern urban center.
Midwestern urban center.
5
20120
3720
00:37
And now today,
6
25040
2096
00:39
just a half a century later,
7
27160
1720
00:41
Detroit is the poster child
for urban decay.
for urban decay.
8
29920
3360
00:46
Currently in Detroit,
our population is under 700,000,
our population is under 700,000,
9
34200
4136
00:50
of which 84 percent are African American,
10
38360
3456
00:53
and due to decades of disinvestment
11
41840
3280
00:57
and capital flight
12
45920
2136
01:00
from the city into the suburbs,
13
48080
2800
01:04
there is a scarcity in Detroit.
14
52000
2080
01:07
There is a scarcity of retail,
15
55120
2496
01:09
more specifically, fresh food retail,
16
57640
5296
01:14
resulting in a city
where 70 percent of Detroiters
where 70 percent of Detroiters
17
62960
3616
01:18
are obese and overweight,
18
66600
1640
01:21
and they struggle.
19
69240
1200
01:23
They struggle to access
nutritious food that they need,
nutritious food that they need,
20
71160
3240
01:27
that they need to stay healthy,
21
75600
3256
01:30
that they need to prevent premature
illness and diet-related diseases.
illness and diet-related diseases.
22
78880
4896
01:35
Far too many Detroiters
live closer to a fast food restaurant
live closer to a fast food restaurant
23
83800
5696
01:41
or to a convenience store,
or to a gas station
or to a gas station
24
89520
3296
01:44
where they have to shop for food
25
92840
2056
01:46
than they do a full-service supermarket.
26
94920
3280
01:51
And this is not good news
about the city of Detroit,
about the city of Detroit,
27
99680
4000
01:56
but this is the news
28
104960
3216
02:00
and the story
29
108200
1376
02:01
that Detroiters intend to change.
30
109600
2976
02:04
No, I'm going to take that back.
31
112600
1650
02:07
This is the story
that Detroiters are changing,
that Detroiters are changing,
32
115000
4336
02:11
through urban agriculture
and food entrepreneurship.
and food entrepreneurship.
33
119360
3760
02:16
Here's the thing:
34
124080
1416
02:17
because of Detroit's recent history,
35
125520
2376
02:19
it now finds itself
36
127920
2056
02:22
with some very unique assets,
37
130000
2920
02:25
open land being one of them.
38
133600
2080
02:28
Experts say that the entire cities
of Boston, San Francisco,
of Boston, San Francisco,
39
136600
5056
02:33
and the borough of Manhattan
40
141680
1536
02:35
will fit in the land area
of the city of Detroit.
of the city of Detroit.
41
143240
3280
02:39
They further go on to say
42
147040
1536
02:40
that 40 square miles
of the city is vacant.
of the city is vacant.
43
148600
3680
02:45
That's a quarter to a third of the city,
44
153040
2856
02:47
and with that level of emptiness,
45
155920
1776
02:49
it creates a landscape
unlike any other big city.
unlike any other big city.
46
157720
4560
02:54
So Detroit has this --
open land, fertile soil,
open land, fertile soil,
47
162840
5176
03:00
proximity to water,
48
168040
2016
03:02
willing labor
49
170080
1776
03:03
and a desperate demand
for healthy, fresh food.
for healthy, fresh food.
50
171880
2600
03:07
All of this has created
a people-powered grassroots movement
a people-powered grassroots movement
51
175480
4536
03:12
of people in Detroit
52
180040
1536
03:13
who are transforming this city
53
181600
2136
03:15
from what was the capital
of American industry
of American industry
54
183760
3040
03:19
into an agrarian paradise.
55
187760
1760
03:22
(Applause)
56
190306
1150
03:23
You know, I think,
out of all the cities in the world,
out of all the cities in the world,
57
191480
4056
03:27
Detroit, Michigan, is best positioned
to serve as the world's urban exemplar
to serve as the world's urban exemplar
58
195560
5776
03:33
of food security
and sustainable development.
and sustainable development.
59
201360
3536
03:36
In Detroit, we have over 1,500, yes, 1,500
60
204920
5016
03:41
gardens and farms
located all across the city today.
located all across the city today.
61
209960
4656
03:46
And these aren't plots of land
62
214640
1536
03:48
where we're just growing
tomatoes and carrots either.
tomatoes and carrots either.
63
216200
2800
03:51
You understand, urban agriculture
in Detroit is all about community,
in Detroit is all about community,
64
219640
4496
03:56
because we grow together.
65
224160
1856
03:58
So these spaces
are spaces of conviviality.
are spaces of conviviality.
66
226040
3376
04:01
These spaces are places
where we're building social cohesion
where we're building social cohesion
67
229440
3976
04:05
as well as providing healthy, fresh food
68
233440
4376
04:09
to our friends, our families
and our neighbors.
and our neighbors.
69
237840
3336
04:13
Come walk with me.
70
241200
1536
04:14
I want to take you
through a few Detroit neighborhoods,
through a few Detroit neighborhoods,
71
242760
2616
04:17
and I want you to see what it looks like
when you empower local leadership,
when you empower local leadership,
72
245400
4376
04:21
and when you support grassroots movements
73
249800
2936
04:24
of folks who are moving the needle
in low-income communities
in low-income communities
74
252760
3816
04:28
and people of color.
75
256600
1536
04:30
Our first stop, Oakland Avenue Farms.
76
258160
3056
04:33
Oakland Avenue Farms is located
in Detroit's North End neighborhood.
in Detroit's North End neighborhood.
77
261240
5176
04:38
Oakland Avenue Farms is transforming
into a five-acre landscape
into a five-acre landscape
78
266440
4696
04:43
combining art, architecture,
sustainable ecologies
sustainable ecologies
79
271160
4096
04:47
and new market practices.
80
275280
2056
04:49
In the truest sense of the word,
81
277360
1736
04:51
this is what agriculture
looks like in the city of Detroit.
looks like in the city of Detroit.
82
279120
4240
04:56
I've had the opportunity
to work with Oakland Avenue Farms
to work with Oakland Avenue Farms
83
284800
3856
05:00
in hosting Detroit-grown and made
farm-to-table dinners.
farm-to-table dinners.
84
288680
4160
05:05
These are dinners
where we bring folks onto the farm,
where we bring folks onto the farm,
85
293440
3056
05:08
we give them plenty
of time and opportunity
of time and opportunity
86
296520
2456
05:11
to meet and greet and talk to the grower,
87
299000
3096
05:14
and then they're taken on a farm tour.
88
302120
2176
05:16
And then afterwards,
they're treated to a farm-to-table meal
they're treated to a farm-to-table meal
89
304320
5776
05:22
prepared by a chef
90
310120
1936
05:24
who showcases all the produce on the farm
right at the peak of its freshness.
right at the peak of its freshness.
91
312080
5800
05:30
We do that.
92
318320
1216
05:31
We bring people onto the farm,
93
319560
1896
05:33
we have folks sitting around a table,
94
321480
2216
05:35
because we want to change
people's relationship to food.
people's relationship to food.
95
323720
3336
05:39
We want them to know
exactly where their food comes from
exactly where their food comes from
96
327080
4256
05:43
that is grown on that farm
that's on the plate.
that's on the plate.
97
331360
3816
05:47
My second stop,
98
335200
1576
05:48
I'm going to take you
on the west side of Detroit,
on the west side of Detroit,
99
336800
2656
05:51
to the Brightmoor neighborhood.
100
339480
1776
05:53
Now, Brightmoor is
a lower-income community in Detroit.
a lower-income community in Detroit.
101
341280
2720
05:56
There's about 13,000
residents in Brightmoor.
residents in Brightmoor.
102
344720
2760
06:00
They decided to take
a block-by-block-by-block strategy.
a block-by-block-by-block strategy.
103
348240
5016
06:05
So within the neighborhood of Brightmoor,
104
353280
2496
06:07
you'll find a 21-block microneighborhood
called Brightmoor Farmway.
called Brightmoor Farmway.
105
355800
4880
06:13
Now, what was a notorious,
unsafe, underserved community
unsafe, underserved community
106
361160
5256
06:18
has transformed into a welcoming,
beautiful, safe farmway,
beautiful, safe farmway,
107
366440
4736
06:23
lush with parks and gardens
and farms and greenhouses.
and farms and greenhouses.
108
371200
3760
06:27
This tight-knit community
also came together recently,
also came together recently,
109
375720
3216
06:30
and they purchased an abandoned building,
110
378960
2376
06:33
an abandoned building
that was in disrepair and in foreclosure.
that was in disrepair and in foreclosure.
111
381360
4456
06:37
And with the help of friends
and families and volunteers,
and families and volunteers,
112
385840
3176
06:41
they were able to take down
the bulletproof glass,
the bulletproof glass,
113
389040
2736
06:43
they were able to clean up the grounds
114
391800
1856
06:45
and they transformed that building
into a community kitchen,
into a community kitchen,
115
393680
3816
06:49
into a cafe, into a storefront.
116
397520
2776
06:52
Now the farmers and the food artisans
who live in Brightmoor,
who live in Brightmoor,
117
400320
3776
06:56
they have a place where they
can make and sell their product.
can make and sell their product.
118
404120
3096
06:59
And the people in the community
119
407240
1536
07:00
have some place where they can buy
healthy, fresh food.
healthy, fresh food.
120
408800
3040
07:04
Urban agriculture --
and this is my third example --
and this is my third example --
121
412720
2616
07:07
can be used as a way to lift up
the business cooperative model.
the business cooperative model.
122
415360
5000
07:12
The 1,500 farms and gardens
I told you about earlier?
I told you about earlier?
123
420960
4016
07:17
Keep Growing Detroit
is a nonprofit organization
is a nonprofit organization
124
425000
2256
07:19
that had a lot to do with those farms.
125
427280
2360
07:22
They distributed last year
70,000 packets of seeds
70,000 packets of seeds
126
430800
4976
07:27
and a quarter of a million transplants,
127
435800
3536
07:31
and as a result of that last year,
128
439360
2056
07:33
550,000 pounds of produce
129
441440
3896
07:37
was grown in the city of Detroit.
130
445360
3256
07:40
(Applause)
131
448640
3760
07:46
But aside from all of that,
132
454880
2016
07:48
they also manage
and operate a cooperative.
and operate a cooperative.
133
456920
3576
07:52
It's called Grown in Detroit.
134
460520
1896
07:54
It consists of about 70 farmers,
135
462440
3256
07:57
small farmers.
136
465720
1496
07:59
They all grow, and they sell together.
137
467240
3040
08:03
They grow fruits,
138
471160
2416
08:05
they grow vegetables,
139
473600
1200
08:07
they grow flowers,
140
475520
1776
08:09
they grow herbs in healthy soil,
141
477320
2936
08:12
free of chemicals,
pesticides, fertilizers,
pesticides, fertilizers,
142
480280
2936
08:15
genetically modified products --
143
483240
2336
08:17
healthy food.
144
485600
1520
08:19
And when their product is sold
145
487520
2016
08:21
all over the city of Detroit
in local markets,
in local markets,
146
489560
2856
08:24
they get a hundred percent
of the proceeds from the sale.
of the proceeds from the sale.
147
492440
2680
08:28
In a city like Detroit,
148
496920
1560
08:31
where far too many, far too many
African Americans are dying
African Americans are dying
149
499320
5456
08:36
as a result of diet-related diseases,
150
504800
2680
08:40
restaurants, they have a huge role to play
151
508400
3016
08:43
in increasing healthy food access
in the city of Detroit,
in the city of Detroit,
152
511440
3416
08:46
culturally appropriate restaurants.
153
514880
2416
08:49
Enter Detroit Vegan Soul.
154
517320
1736
08:51
Yes, we have a vegan soul food restaurant
in the city of Detroit.
in the city of Detroit.
155
519080
5456
08:56
(Applause)
156
524560
1216
08:57
Yes, yes.
157
525800
1480
09:00
Detroit Vegan Soul
is providing Detroiters the opportunity
is providing Detroiters the opportunity
158
528200
4056
09:04
to eat more plant-based meals
159
532280
3416
09:07
and they've received an overwhelming
response from Detroiters.
response from Detroiters.
160
535720
3776
09:11
Detroiters are hungry
for culturally appropriate,
for culturally appropriate,
161
539520
2536
09:14
fresh, delicious food.
162
542080
1920
09:16
That's why we built a nonprofit
organization called FoodLab Detroit,
organization called FoodLab Detroit,
163
544720
3736
09:20
to help small neighborhood
burgeoning food entrepreneurs
burgeoning food entrepreneurs
164
548480
3096
09:23
start and scale healthy food businesses.
165
551600
2880
09:26
FoodLab provides
these entrepreneurs incubation,
these entrepreneurs incubation,
166
554840
3456
09:30
hands-on education, workshops,
167
558320
2416
09:32
technical assistance,
access to industry experts
access to industry experts
168
560760
3376
09:36
so that they can grow and scale.
169
564160
1680
09:38
They're very small businesses,
170
566600
1456
09:40
but last year, they had a combined revenue
171
568080
3256
09:43
of over 7.5 million dollars,
172
571360
2536
09:45
and they provided 252 jobs.
173
573920
3296
09:49
Listen.
174
577240
1216
09:50
(Applause)
175
578480
2776
09:53
These are just a few examples
176
581280
3120
09:57
on how you expand opportunities
177
585240
3976
10:01
so that everybody can participate
178
589240
3456
10:04
and prosper,
179
592720
1376
10:06
particularly those
who come from neighborhoods
who come from neighborhoods
180
594120
3976
10:10
that have been historically excluded
from these types of opportunities.
from these types of opportunities.
181
598120
4200
10:14
I know, I know.
182
602880
2160
10:17
My city is a long way from succeeding.
183
605880
3360
10:22
We're still struggling,
184
610040
1416
10:23
and I'm not going to stand here
on this stage and tell you
on this stage and tell you
185
611480
2816
10:26
that all of Detroit's problems
and all of Detroit's challenges
and all of Detroit's challenges
186
614320
3416
10:29
are going to be solved
through urban agriculture.
through urban agriculture.
187
617760
2936
10:32
I'm not going to do that,
188
620720
1656
10:34
but I will tell you this:
189
622400
2096
10:36
urban agriculture
has Detroit thinking about its city
has Detroit thinking about its city
190
624520
3376
10:39
now in a different way,
191
627920
1576
10:41
a city that can be both urban and rural.
192
629520
3840
10:46
And yes, I know, these stories are small,
193
634000
2656
10:48
these stories are
neighborhood-based stories,
neighborhood-based stories,
194
636680
2856
10:51
but these stories are powerful.
195
639560
2056
10:53
They're powerful because I'm showing you
how we're creating a new society
how we're creating a new society
196
641640
3816
10:57
left vacant in the places and the spaces
that was disintegration from the old.
that was disintegration from the old.
197
645480
5776
11:03
They're powerful stories
because they're stories about love,
because they're stories about love,
198
651280
3336
11:06
the love that Detroiters have
for one another,
for one another,
199
654640
2176
11:08
the love that we have for our community,
the love that we have for Mother Earth,
the love that we have for Mother Earth,
200
656840
3816
11:12
but more importantly,
these stories are stories
these stories are stories
201
660680
2496
11:15
on how devastation, despair, decay
202
663200
5016
11:20
never ever get the last word
in the city of Detroit.
in the city of Detroit.
203
668240
4856
11:25
When hundreds of thousands
of people left Detroit,
of people left Detroit,
204
673120
3016
11:28
and they left us for dead,
those who stayed had hope.
those who stayed had hope.
205
676160
3256
11:31
They held on to hope.
206
679440
1776
11:33
They never gave up.
207
681240
1296
11:34
They always kept fighting.
208
682560
2616
11:37
And listen, I know,
209
685200
1256
11:38
transforming a big city like Detroit
to one that is prosperous,
to one that is prosperous,
210
686480
3976
11:42
one that's functional, one that's healthy,
211
690480
2456
11:44
one that's inclusive,
one that provides opportunities for all,
one that provides opportunities for all,
212
692960
3136
11:48
I know it's tough,
213
696120
1536
11:49
I know it's challenging, I know it's hard.
214
697680
2376
11:52
But I just believe
215
700080
1240
11:54
that if we start strengthening
the social fabric of our communities,
the social fabric of our communities,
216
702080
3576
11:57
and if we kickstart economic opportunities
in our most vulnerable neighborhoods,
in our most vulnerable neighborhoods,
217
705680
5056
12:02
it all starts with healthy, accessible,
218
710760
4136
12:06
delicious, culturally appropriate food.
219
714920
4176
12:11
Thank you very much.
220
719120
1216
12:12
(Applause)
221
720360
3240
12:18
Thank you.
222
726800
1200
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Devita Davison - Food activistAt FoodLab Detroit, Devita Davison supports local entrepreneurs and imagines a new future for food justice.
Why you should listen
Detroit is a legendary food town, and it's thanks to small, locally owned businesses that range from streetside barbecue tents to neighborhood bakeries, shops and delis -- even small farms. At FoodLab Detroit, Devita Davison helps locals with ideas for a food business to take their dreams into delicious reality, by connecting them with business advice, help with compliance and licensing, space in professional kitchens, marketing ideas and more. The nonprofit focuses on entrepreneurs and communities who have been traditionally under-resourced, aiming to build power and resilience for people around the city.
FoodLab's vision is to cultivate, connect and catalyze, to use food as an economic engine, to form a supportive community of entrepreneurs and to make good food a reality for all Detroiters.
Devita Davison | Speaker | TED.com