Devita Davison: How urban agriculture is transforming Detroit

How urban agriculture is transforming Detroit

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."

Detroit, once a booming industrial giant, now faces vast emptiness and limited access to fresh food, with 70 percent of residents overweight or obese. Yet the city’s vacant land has become fertile ground for a grassroots urban farming movement, boasting over 1,500 gardens and farms. Neighborhoods are transforming abandoned properties into community kitchens, markets, and farmways, fostering social bonds and new businesses. These efforts are helping Detroiters reclaim agency, spark economic growth, and build healthier, more connected communities.