Christine MacDonald reports in The Detroit News,
The Rev. Jesse Jackson dismissed urban farming as “cute but foolish” and joked about the recent theft of his car during an appearance today before the City Council.
One day before Mayor Dave Bing is set to talk to the council about his vision for reshaping Detroit, Jackson told the panel that the city needs more industry, such as a $303 million battery plant in Holland that will supply electric vehicles to General Motors and Ford.
“The governor, a Democrat, brags about Michigan getting a battery plant, built north of Grand Rapids, as opposed to Detroit, the engine that drives the state,” Jackson said.
“We need industrialization, not farming. Detroit needs the battery plant. Let farmers farm … We are not offering a farming plan for Baghdad. ”
Urban farming has frequently been mentioned as a possible solution to Detroit’s glut of land. Jackson said there may be a demand for urban homesteading — giving small plots to encourage re-settlement — but he fears larger farms would drive residents from neighborhoods.
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