Of any city struggling through tough economic peril and leaving the question of what will become of it, is Detroit. Government corruption, crime, record high unemployment and a quickly fleeing population have turned this once industrial leader into a forgotten city left to rot. What is left standing is not a pretty picture. After several failed revitalization ideas, one man that calls Detroit home decided to invest in his city with an unconventional idea. This idea is Hantz Farms, planned to be the world’s largest and for profit urban farm.

John Hantz, a Michigan entrepreneur, is giving himself a fast track education in urban farming.  Hantz Farms has big ideas, and as with many big ideas with big money behind them, they have their critics.  Several smaller local urban farms have concerns. Surprisingly, there are in the neighborhood of 875 urban and community farms and gardens in the  Detroit and surrounding areas.  The words “corporate takeover” have been uttered.  When there is 30 million dollars involved, it is almost unavoidable to become a corporate powerhouse, something most independent farmers keep their distance from.  Many of the Detroit urban farmers are unsure of what the introduction of Hantz Farms will mean for them.  Part of the reason urban farming is gaining popularity in Detroit is that land is cheap and bountiful.  An urban farm is financially feasible, sustainable and allows people to stay and support their community.  Detroit has over 30,000 acres of abandoned or unused land.  Returning to it’s farming roots might not be a bad idea.  But corporate and factory farming systems are what people fear, including myself.  I think John Hantz’s heart is in the right place with Hantz Farms, but let’s not forget that he is a businessman as well.

Their website, http://hantzfarmsdetroit.com/, offers vague and limited information of the plan for the world’s largest urban farm.  It has the spin of marketing and publicity all over it with promises of hundreds of green jobs, fresh, local and safe produce, and a cleaner environment.  I would truly like to learn more information than what I can gather from their website and countless news articles written about them.  I think it is fine that they are a for-profit venture and have all these big plans including vertical crops and hydro- and aeroponics.  I am not getting the feeling that they are sharing all of the information the community should be entitled to know.  For example, will the farms be organic?  Will GMO seeds be used?  Will synthetic pesticides be used?  How will that effect the soil and groundwater?  If you are using GMO seeds and pesticides how “fresh and safe” will your produce be?  We don’t need another Monsanto.

I hope Hantz Farms will lead with integrity and not with a greedy eye for profit margins. People also can’t ignore the fact that Hantz Farms appointed Matt Allen, former press secretary for Kwame Kilpatrick, as vice president.  Government press secretaries are usually good at spinning the truth.  In a city that has experienced more than it’s fair share of heartache, a positive venture is greatly overdue.  Let’s all hope Hantz Farms will bring the positive change needed for Detroit.

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