Mission & Impact
Mission
Keep Growing Detroit exists to cultivate a food sovereign city where the majority of fruits and vegetables consumed by Detroiters are grown by residents within the city itself.
Through education, resources, and connection, we support thousands of gardeners and farmers across Detroit, Highland Park, and Hamtramck. Together we grow food, strengthen neighborhoods, and build the knowledge and relationships needed for a healthy and resilient local food system.
Vision
We envision a Detroit where residents grow and share food in every neighborhood, where land is cared for as a community resource, and where the people who live here shape the food systems that nourish them.
In this future, gardens and farms are places of nourishment, cultural expression, and community leadership. Detroiters are not only consumers within the food system but also growers, stewards, and decision-makers guiding its future.
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History
Detroit’s urban agriculture movement is rooted in a long tradition of people growing food in the city. Indigenous communities cultivated corn, beans, squash, and medicinal plants long before Detroit was founded, practices that continue today and remind us that care for land and water is a reciprocal relationship. Over the past century and a half, Detroiters have repeatedly turned to gardening in moments of challenge and possibility alike, from Mayor Hazen Pingree’s “Potato Patches” during the economic crisis of the 1890s, to the Victory Gardens of the World War eras, to community-led efforts like the Farm-A-Lot program, Detroit Summer, and the many gardens and farms that took root during the city’s recent period of reinvention. Organizations such as Earthworks Urban Farm, the Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network, and the Detroit Agriculture Network helped shape the modern movement and laid the groundwork for collaborative initiatives like the Garden Resource Program. Established in 2013, Keep Growing Detroit carries this work forward by supporting thousands of gardeners and farmers across the city as they cultivate food, community, and a more resilient local food system.
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Annual Report
In 2025, Detroit’s food ecosystem continued to deepen and expand. Nearly 3,000 gardens and farms, more than 500 partners, and tens of thousands of residents worked together to grow food, share resources, and strengthen community across the city. From neighborhood gardens and schoolyards to community farms and markets, Detroiters are cultivating food, relationships, and leadership in every corner of the city.
Keep Growing Detroit is proud to be part of this collective effort, supporting growers while helping connect the people, knowledge, and resources that sustain Detroit’s growing network.
Learn more in our 2025 Annual Report.
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Research
Keep Growing Detroit maintains an active practice of data collection, evaluation, and research to better understand the impacts of urban agriculture in Detroit. By documenting participation, tracking outcomes, and partnering with researchers, we are able to learn alongside the communities we serve and share insights that strengthen urban agriculture locally and nationally.
We believe that knowledge should be accessible. Whenever possible, we share what we are learning with our community through reports, journal articles, and storytelling projects that highlight the experiences of Detroit gardeners and farmers.
Below are a few recent studies and publications that we have contributed to or collaborated on:
• Harvesting Sustainble Water Solutions
A study exploring the connections between urban agriculture and stormwater management in cities.• Garden Characteristics and Types of Program Involvement Associated with Sustained Garden Membership in an Urban Gardening Support Program
Research examining the factors that help gardeners remain active and engaged over time.• Storytelling Project
A collection of stories highlighting the lived experiences of Detroit gardeners and the role gardens play in community life.• How Gardening in Detroit Influences Diet
• How Gardening in Detroit Influences Physical and Mental Health
