New Michigan Bill Announced to Support Urban Agriculture & Invest $10 Million for Research

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A new bill supporting urban agriculture in Michigan (5% Latino) will open up doors for new economic opportunities and create new ways to increase access to healthy foods.

The Urban Agriculture Acto of 2016, announced by Michigan Senator Stabenow will allow more support for urban farmers with new financial tools, support for research, and allow for healthy food to be grown in community gardens and neighborhood farms.

“Urban agriculture is steadily growing in cities and towns across Michigan and across our country, creating new economic opportunities and safer, healthier environments,” Senator Stabenow told the local press. “The Urban Agriculture Act will continue this momentum by helping urban farmers get started or expand their business, so they can sell more products and supply more healthy food for their neighbors.”

The bill would allow loans that are provided by the existing United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to let urban farmers use farm loans to finance food production, marketing, and value-added processing.

Also, support for urban farmers would come through risk management tools, a new urban ag office, and mentorship and education connecting urban farmers with rural farmers for support.

Creating healthy food environments is vital to the growing Latino population of the United States, who often face higher risks of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.

The new bill would also support a healthier environment that increases access to healthy foods by investing $5 million in tools and equipment to develop local gardens that provide community-based nutrition education and donate a portion of food to help feed neighbors.

The sustainability of the bill’s environment practices would also help expand resources for support of soil remediations, urban composting and invest in $10 million for research as well as investments for more vertical, rooftops and indoor farm production.

Executive Director of the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network, Malik Yakini said in the press release, “As we rethink how we provide food in an environmentally sustainable way for an increasingly urban population, urban agriculture is an important component. Growing food closer to centers of population density not only provides people with fresher, more nutrient-rich foods but also reduces the carbon released into the atmosphere by transporting food long distances.”