From years of conversations between Detroit executives, citizens and the expansion of Michigan State University (MSU), the Detroit Association for Food, Learning and Innovation (DPFLI) performed on nearly 3. 5 acres in northwest Detroit’s Riverdale network in 2017. As the first urban network SSM’s Food Research Center, dpfli’s facilities and partnership seek to expand artistic responses to the demanding urban economic and nutritional situations facing Detroit citizens through network engagement and MSU outreach programming.
Located on the site of a former number one school, DPFLI has a thriving, edible landscape with local trees, fruit bushes, vegetable crops, local herbs, and more. The first construction on the DPFLI site was completed in February 2020, just a few weeks before COVID-19 was known in Michigan. Now furnished, it serves as a learning center for DPFLI programming that also provides a shared area for network equipment to access and use.
Despite the demanding situations posed by the pandemic, DPFLI staff and volunteers have continued to diligently create and grow the site. In 2021, a deer fence was added to protect production plots and studios, followed by the final touch of a garage shed in June 2022. Other advances included the addition of a wind turbine to force parking lot lighting, painted lines for parking spaces, higher lawn beds, and a pizza oven. A rain lawn was also added to capture rainwater and decrease runoff from outdoor space. In 2022, DPFLI staff reached their highest number to date, with 3 trainees, two interns, and a site manager and full-time program coordinator joining Director Naim Edwards.
As Detroit’s partnership for food, learning and innovation continues to grow, it has already demonstrated good fortune in transforming the way residents of Riverdale and the Detroit metro area interact with their food system. With the purpose of creating healthy and sustainable environments, as well as access to food. without relying on the source of income or grocery stores, DPFLI has an exclusive position aimed at network participation and learning opportunities for Detroit citizens of all ages.
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