Detroit Black Farmer Land Fund Generated $56,000 in one week

One of the major problems suffered by urban farmers in the United States is access to capital. It is in light of this that three communities in Detroit have come together to create an initiative that would help provide funds for black farmers in Detroit. These three communities include Detroit Black Community Food Security Network, Oakland Avenue Urban Farm, and Keep Growing Detroit. 

The name of the initiative collaborated to create is Detroit Black Farmer Land Fund. The initial goal of the initiative is to raise at least $5,000 for farmers in Detroit to buy more land and other necessary things needed for their business. However, after the launch of the initiative on June 19, it raised up to $56,000 in just one week. 

"Black farmers have been the ones who have been left out of the loop in terms of ownership, partly because of access to capital," said Jerry Hebron, executive director of Oakland Avenue Urban Farm in the North End neighborhood of Detroit. The fund was created to change this. 

Hebron revealed that two things contributed to the positive response to the efforts. The first is the ongoing pandemic which according to research affected black-owned businesses than white-owned businesses. The second factor which is also the major factor that triggered the positive response is the ongoing movement against the discrimination and marginalization of blacks in the United States. 

"This conversation has been going on within the Black community for a couple of years, in terms of how we change the narrative where Black farmers are actually owning the land that they're farming, as opposed to leasing or just plotting," he said.

Presently, Oakland Avenue Urban Farm sits on six acres of land growing Crowder (Black-eye) peas, mulberries, turnips, squash, and more. Youth from a local church in the community and other volunteers tend to the farm. However, since the outbreak of the pandemic in March, there have been fewer activities on the farm. 

Also, Hebron revealed that the farm faced a land ownership barrier for 15 years. The reason for this is because the government did not see buying the land for farming purposes as the best way to use the land. Hence, rather than allowing the land to be acquired by farmers, they are given to developers.

However, after the adoption of the Urban Agriculture Ordinance in 2013, the farmers were able to buy the land in 2015. 

Hebron revealed that the goal of the initiative is to help farmers acquire more land thereby increasing the quantity of locally grown products in the surrounding communities. 

"We want our farmers to be safe. We want them to feel empowered. We want them to know that we are here together and we can support each other. Ownership is power," Hebron said.

Tepfirah Rushdan, co-director at Keep Growing Detroit, said the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic brought with it an increase in urban gardening. 

"We have a lot more people interested in growing food, a lot more people understanding that their food supply is vulnerable and wanting to take that step in self-reliance to be a part of growing food for their families," she said.

The coalition of community organizations sees itself as stewards of providing a solution, said Erin Bevel, a board member for the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network.

"The long term goal is to create a culture of local Black farmers who can rely and depend on each other in supporting growing food and feeding our communities," she said.

On Monday, the fund announced the amount it had realized and revealed that the application to be a beneficiary would be opened to all black farmers by July 20. The application is expected to last for one month. After which the winners would be announced and paid by September.