Food Justice in Detroit the Urban Farming Movement

• In Event: 355 - Section on Economic Sociology Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 20. Inequality and Justice

Abstract

Detroit is not unlike many inner cities in that they are what is considered a food desert. Detroiters pay the most for transportation when compared with residents of the other cities—19.2 percent of their household income after taxes—compared to 16.3 percent for the country as a whole. Two out of five dollars spent by households on food in metro Detroit ($6,412 average annual total) were spent on food purchased to be eaten away from home, that is, at a restaurant or fast food outlet. Only 17 percent of the budget allocated for food at home was spent on fruits and vegetables, while another 14 percent was spent on cereals and bakery products. Several citywide urban agriculture programs in Detroit have helped establish and support hundreds of backyard, community, school, and market gardens; engage and train thousands of adults and youth in related activities; and conduct related outreach and networking. Through qualitative inquiry, this faculty-student collaborative ethnography highlights the Detroit Urban Farm Movement as an answer to the lack of healthy food available in Detroit, addressing food justice issues, how these initiatives are addressing the “cultural humility” that is associated with being a food desert, and how these initiatives are bringing a sense of pride back to impoverished neighborhoods in the City.

Author

• Michelle Marie Proctor, Madonna University