GREEN SPACE: See urban agriculture for yourself on August 5

Everyone from the New York Times to the BBC has taken note of the explosion of urban farming in Detroit. Unless you personally know someone involved with community gardens, you may not have had the opportunity to see one, but every year, the Detroit Agriculture Network (DAN) offers a tour of some hand-picked farms and gardens. This year, its twelfth annual tour date is August 5 -- which may seem far away, but it sells out every year.

To get an idea of how substantial this movement has become, consider this: 517 backyard gardens, 244 community gardens, and 46 school gardens participate in the DAN program, which offers seeds, plants, and education to growers.

Attendees can choose bus or bike options. Bus tours will visit east-side, west-side, and central city gardens, while the bicycle tour will weave through gardens located in the Cass Corridor, Woodbridge, and Greater Corktown. All tours will leave from Catherine Ferguson Academy, located at 2750 Selden in Detroit. Sign-in begins at 5:00 p.m. and tours will leave at 6:00. After the tour, locally-grown food and refreshments prepared by local chefs will provide you with a taste of Detroit’s new food system.

Registration is now open and early sign-ups are strongly recommended. You can register by contacting Ashley Atkinson at 313-237-8736 or via email at aatkinson@umich.edu. The fee for the tours is a sliding scale of $1 to $20.

Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh