Can Farming Heal the City of Detroit?
A recent article by Fortune highlighted the well known social and economic woes of Detroit and also proposed a unique solution to try to heal the Motor City - farming. A financially well off Detroit resident, John Hantz, has proposed a radical idea to purchase large tracts of vacant, run down houses, remove the rotting houses, and return the land to productive agriculture use by creating a for-profit farm operation.
Creating a farm of this size would make it the largest of its kind in the country, and Hantz believes it could help the city by restoring tax delinquent and blighted properties to a state of agricultural and economic productivity. Farms located within the city would also supply farm fresh produce to local markets and restaurants and provide desperately needed jobs to Detroit residents.
