Earthworks Urban Farm

1. General information

Location and description of the intervention

City or FUA

Detroit (FUA)

Region

Northern America

Short description of the intervention

Earthworks Urban Farm, located on Detroit's east side, is a pioneering initiative of the Capuchin Soup Kitchen that integrates sustainable agriculture, social justice, and community development. The Capuchin Soup Kitchen is a religiously affiliated soup kitchen and non-profit organization located in Detroit, Michigan. It was founded by the Capuchin friars to provide food for the poor during the Great Depression and is sponsored by the Capuchin Franciscan Province of St. Joseph. The farm was founded in 1998 by Brother Rick Samyn, and began as a small garden focused on educating local youth about healthy food and its origins. Over time, this modest garden expanded into a 2.5-acre urban farm, including 1.5 certified organic acres—making it Detroit's only certified organic farm.
The farm’s growth included adding a large plot behind its partner, Gleaners Community Food Bank, as well as establishing an apiary with up to 40 hives, a greenhouse for transplant production, a hoop house for year-round crops, and a community orchard. Earthworks' work has evolved along with its physical space, significantly extending its reach.
A wide variety of vegetables are cultivated here without herbicides or pesticides, with harvests distributed to local residents and included in meals at the Capuchin Soup Kitchen, ensuring fresh, nutritious food for those in need. Beyond agriculture, Earthworks serves as a community hub, engaging volunteers, offering educational tours, and supporting thousands of community gardens across Detroit with transplants and expertise.
Committed to evolving its programs, Earthworks has experimented with mobile markets, community-supported agriculture (CSA), and local market stands, demonstrating its dedication to meeting community needs through sustainable practices.
(Ref.1,2)

Website of the intervention

https://www.cskdetroit.org/earthworks/ The primary mission of Earthworks Urban …

Principal problems

Land use and Socio-economic change

Unequal availability and access to public green spaces

Health, Well-being and Social cohesion

Disconnection from nature

Poor community engagement

Resource Scarcity and Competition

Food insecurity due to disruptions in food production and distribution

Implementation area characterization

Climate

Continental (Cold-summer humid continental, Cold-winter dry continental, Cold-summer dry continental)

Ecosystem

Urban or built environment

Address

1264 Meldrum Street
Detroit, 48207
United States

Location

The NBS is situated in an area, with clear delineation of boundaries and a specific shape (polygon). The NBS project can also have more than one area location (more than one polygon, situated close by).

Area boundary (map-based)

NBS area image

Source of NBS area image

Photo 1 source: https://www.cskdetroit.org/earthworks/about_us/history/
Photo 2 source: https://www.google.com/maps/place/1264+Meldrum+St,+Detroit,+MI+48207,+USA/@42.3504663,-83.0126976,146m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m15!1m8!3m7!1s0x8824d3470fa3ef3b:0x4538080f50c9e400!2s1264+Meldrum+St,+Detroit,+MI+48207,+USA!3b1!8m2!3d42.3509961!4d-83.012682!16s%2Fg%2F11bw3xy4cc!3m5!1s0x8824d3470fa3ef3b:0x4538080f50c9e400!8m2!3d42.3509961!4d-83.012682!16s%2Fg%2F11bw3xy4cc?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTAyMi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

Total area

10117.00m²

NBS area

10117.00m²

Area description

Urban (main city)

Type of area before implementation of the NBS

Brownfield site (previously contaminated or derelict land)

Vacant or abandoned land

Mixed-use development (combination of residential, commercial, and/or industrial)

Timeline of intervention

Start date of the intervention (planning process)

1998

Start date of intervention (implementation process)

1998

End date of the intervention

ongoing

Present stage of the intervention

Ongoing

2. Objectives of the intervention

Objectives of the intervention

Goals of the intervention

To foster environmentally responsible farming methods through organic practices that avoid herbicides and pesticides.
To address food insecurity by growing and distributing fresh, organic produce to local residents and incorporating harvests into meals served by the Capuchin Soup Kitchen.
To provide educational opportunities to the community, especially youth, about food origins and the importance of healthy eating, inspiring a broader understanding of food systems and sustainability through tours, workshops, and volunteer engagement.
To strengthen community ties by creating inclusive spaces for collaboration, knowledge sharing, and collective contribution to common goals.
To support a just and equitable food system where access to healthy food is recognized as a basic right, and where both people and the environment are respected and cared for.
(Ref.1,2)

Key Priorities

Social Justice and community

Sustainability challenge(s) addressed

Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)

Green space creation and/or management

Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)

Social justice and equity

Environmental education

Sense of community and community engagement

Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)

Sustainable consumption

Sustainable production

Food scarcity / security

Implementation activities and NBS focus

Implementation activities

The Earthworks Urban Farm project began with the establishment of a small garden at the Capuchin Soup Kitchen, primarily aimed at educating neighborhood youth about healthy food and its origins. Over time, the farm expanded its cultivated land by acquiring a large plot behind Gleaners Community Food Bank, allowing for the growth of a diverse range of vegetables through organic practices.
To support year-round production and sustainability, Earthworks invested in essential infrastructure, including a greenhouse for transplant production, a hoop house for winter farming, and a community orchard to increase their produce variety. Additionally, the farm developed an apiary that grew to include up to 40 hives, which contributed both to pollination and to local honey production. Volunteers from the local community assist with preparing germination trays by mixing soil or making soil blocks, and they help maintain compost by regularly flipping it to ensure proper decomposition. Volunteers also participate in planting, seeding, and thinning out seedlings, as well as pricking out and transplanting young plants as they grow.
As part of its mission to enhance food access, Earthworks launched a seasonal market stand to distribute fresh produce directly to the community. (Ref. 1, 2)

Type of NBS project

Creation of new green areas

Creation of areas for food production (community gardens, allotments)

Transformation of previously derelict areas

Brownfield redevelopment

Transformation of vacant land into green spaces

Knowledge creation and awareness raising

Educational and awareness raising programs

3. NBS domains, ES and scale

NBS domain and interventions

Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented

Community gardens and allotments

Community gardens

Horticulture

Amenities offered by the NBS

Unknown

Design elements for well-being

Visual elements (e.g., expansive views, scenic views, natural light, diverse vegetation)

Olfactory elements (e.g., floral scents, earthy smells)

Tactile elements (e.g., natural materials like wood or stone, exposure to sunlight)

Services

Expected ecosystem services delivered

Provisioning services

Food for human consumption (crops, vegetables)

Regulating services

Pollination

Mediation of smell / noise / visual impacts

Cultural services

Intellectual interactions (scientific and / or educational)

Physical and experiential interactions with plants and animals

Social and community interactions

Scale

Spatial scale

Sub-microscale: Street scale (including buildings)

Beneficiaries

Demographics in implementation area

Residential population: 5827; median age: 45 years old; majority race/ethnicity: 89% non-Hispanic black; median household income: $18,000. Mixed-income residential neighborhood with pockets of stability amid high vacancy and sizable legacy industrial corridor. A portion of the Islandview neighborhood contains a corridor of over 1.1 million square feet of underutilized industrial space. (Ref.3)

Socio-economic profile of the area

Mixed income

Communities vulnerable to environmental hazards or climate change impacts

Non-government actors

Non-governmental organisation (NGO) / Civil society / Churches

Private sector/Corporate/Business

Primary Beneficiaries

Citizens or community groups

Young people and children

Marginalized groups

Specify primary beneficiaries

Local Residents and Families: The primary beneficiaries are the local residents, particularly those experiencing food insecurity. Earthworks provides fresh, organic produce directly to the Capuchin Soup Kitchen, which serves approximately 150,000 meals annually to individuals facing hunger, homelessness, or unstable housing. The farm’s produce, distributed through the Soup Kitchen, ensures that community members have access to nutritious food.

Neighborhood Youth: The youth of the surrounding neighborhoods are significant beneficiaries of Earthworks’ educational programs. These programs teach children and adolescents about agriculture, nutrition, and sustainability, offering them practical skills and knowledge about where their food comes from. By engaging youth in gardening activities, Earthworks helps cultivate a sense of responsibility and connection to their community.

Participants in the Earthworks Agriculture Training (EAT) Program: This training program benefits Detroit residents, especially those from impoverished areas, by equipping them with agricultural skills. Graduates of the program have gone on to start their own businesses, including farms, catering services, and natural product lines, thereby fostering economic empowerment and entrepreneurship within the community.

Volunteers and International Visitors: Earthworks also benefits the many volunteers who participate in farm activities and the international visitors who come to learn from and be inspired by the project. These individuals gain hands-on experience in sustainable farming and contribute to a broader understanding of urban agriculture as a tool for community revitalization.
(Ref.4)

Marginalized groups

Children, young people or youth groups

Socio-economically disadvantaged populations (e.g. low-income households, unemployed)

Homeless people & people living in informal settlements

Measures for inclusion of marginalised groups

Direct Food Distribution: The farm's produce is specifically directed to the Capuchin Soup Kitchen, which serves meals to individuals experiencing food insecurity, homelessness, and poverty. This ensures that the most vulnerable populations receive fresh, nutritious food as part of their daily meals.

Youth Engagement Programs: Earthworks has developed targeted educational programs for local youth, many of whom come from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds. These programs are designed to teach agricultural skills, promote healthy eating, and foster a connection to the land, providing youth with both knowledge and opportunities they might not otherwise have access to.

Earthworks Agriculture Training (EAT) Program: This program is tailored to empower local residents, particularly those from low-income households and impoverished neighborhoods. By offering practical training in agriculture, the EAT program equips participants with the skills needed to pursue careers in farming or related fields, thereby enhancing their economic prospects and self-sufficiency.

Community Accessibility: Earthworks is intentionally located in a neighborhood that has been historically marginalized and underserved. By situating the farm within this community and ensuring that its programs are free or low-cost, the project remains accessible to those who are most in need.

Inclusive Volunteer Opportunities: The farm provides volunteer opportunities that are open to all, including marginalized groups. This not only allows participants to contribute to the community but also fosters social inclusion and a sense of belonging.
(Ref.4)

Specify measures taken for vulnerable or marginalized communities

Targeted outreach and engagement efforts with vulnerable or marginalized communities to understand concerns or identify risks

Implementation of specific programs to address the needs of these communities

Provision of resources tailored to the unique challenges faced by vulnerable or marginalized groups

Other beneficiaries

Local wildlife (e.g., birds, pollinators)

Public health (e.g. increased physical activity opportunities, reduced stress)

4. Governance and financing

Governance

Governance arrangements

Led by non-government actors

Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative

The Capuchin Soup Kitchen and brother Rick Samyn, as the founding organization of Earthworks Urban Farm, play a central role by providing strategic oversight and incorporating the farm’s produce into meals served to the community. Their team manages the daily operations of the farm, focusing on education and outreach to engage and support local residents. Gleaners Community Food Bank (NGO), a key partner organization, has supported Earthworks by providing adjacent land for cultivation, expanding the farm’s capacity to grow diverse crops. Volunteers from the local community assist with planting, seeding, and thinning out seedlings, as well as pricking out and transplanting young plants as they grow.
The farm’s operations and growth are also sustained by the contributions of numerous unnamed donors, private companies, and foundations who provide financial and material support.
(Ref.1,2,4)

Key actors - initiating organization

Non-government organisation/civil society

Other

Please specify other key actors – Initiating organization

Earthworks is a program of Capuchin Soup Kitchen in Detroit; The Capuchin Soup Kitchen is a nonprofit organization and ministry of the Capuchin Franciscan Province of St. Joseph, a branch of the Catholic Church’s Capuchin Franciscans.(Ref.1)

Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)

Non-government organisation/civil society

Citizens or community group

Private sector/corporate actor/company

Private foundation/trust

Stages of citizen and community engagement

On-the-ground implementation

Level of citizen and community engagement

High

Community empowerment or capacity-building initiatives

Implementation of educational programs, workshops or trainings

Formation of community-led groups responsible for the the implementation, maintenace or monitoring of the project

Support of local entrepreneurs or small business development related to the project

Participatory methods/forms of stakeholder involvement (all stakeholders)

Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)

Crowd-sourcing/Crowd-funding/Participatory budget

Dissemination of information and education

Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)

Uncommon actors ("Missing actors")

Community & Social Groups

Churches and other religious organisations or faith communities

Land owners

Church

Other

Please specify other landowner

Community food bank (Ref.4)

Policy drivers

NBS intervention implemented in response to a Regional Directive/Strategy

Unknown

NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan

Unknown

NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan

Yes

Please specify the "local regulation/strategy/plan"

ISLAND VIEW GREATER VILLAGES Neighborhood Framework Plan- City of Detroit (Ref. 3)

Relevant strategy or plan

Municipal / city level environmental plan or programme

Urban redevelopment plan

Mandatory or voluntary intervention

Voluntary (spontaneous)

Enablers & Barriers

Type of enablers

NGOs/Community groups driving the implementation

Change agents (individual with major role influence on launching)

Please provide details (e.g, name of the plan or strategy) for the selected policies or initiatives.

Brother Rick Samyn established the Earthworks farm (Ref.1)

Governace and decison-making instruments

Strategic instruments (e.g. GI strategies, green space strategy or plans)

Economic and fiscal instruments (e.g. subsidies or grants, charges or fees, payments for ecosystem services (PES))

Educational and knowledge sharing instruments (e.g. science/ living labs, awareness raising campaigns, specific educational programs, green hubs)

Arrangements for governance cooperation

Information-sharing platforms or networks (e.g. websites for sharing best practices, data or resources pertinent to the project)

Capacity-building initiatives for governance actors (e.g. training workshops for local government officials/ community leaders)

Barriers

Unknown.

Financing

Total cost

Unknown

Please specify total cost (EUR)

"Earthworks is organized under the Capuchin's Soup Kitchen and creates relatively small part of their budget. Like some other UA organizations they sell produce under the retail price, therefore it makes very small part of their income. They receive private and corporate donations as well and apply for grants especially for acquiring new equipment and structures." (Ref.5)

What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements?

Unknown

Source(s) of funding

Corporate investment

Funds provided by non-governmental organization (NGO)

Crowdfunding

Private Foundation/Trust

Type of fund(s) used

Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)

Donations

Non-financial contribution

Yes

Who provided the non-financial contribution?

Citizens (e.g. volunteering)

Private sector (businesses, financial institution)

Type of non-financial contribution

Provision of goods

Provision of labour

Co-finance for NBS

Yes

Co-governance arrangement

An NGO

Entrepreneurship opportunities

Yes

What entrepreneurship opportunities have arisen from the NBS project?

Eco-tourism or nature-based tourism ventures

Eco-conscious food cooperatives

Social enterprises focused on environmental education or natural resource conservation and stewardship

What types of actors are leading the entrepreneurship activities linked to the NBS project?

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs)

Other

Please specify other type of actors leading the entrepreneurship activities

Capuchin Friars - faith-based collective (Ref.1)

What types of support are provided to entrepreneurs engaged in NBS-related activities?

Access to markets or supply chains

Business models

Local stewardship model

Vacant space model

Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?

Private non-for-profit actor (e.g. NGO, foundation)

5. Evaluation and learning

Impacts, benefits

Environmental impacts

Green space and habitat

Increased green space area

Achieved increased green space area

Increased number of species present

Achieved increased number of species present

Enhanced support of pollination

Achieved enhanced support of pollination

Restoration of derelict areas

Achieved restoration of derelict areas

Description of environmental benefits

-Achieved increased number of species present"As the only certified organic farm in the city, a wide variety of vegetables are grown using no herbicides and no pesticides. " (Ref. 2)
-Increased green space area: "A few raised beds [on previously vacant land] eventually became the 2.5-acre farm it is today." (Ref.4)
-Enhanced support of pollination: "Earthworks has [...] an apiary hosting forty hives" (Ref.4)
-Restoration of derelict areas: "Brother Rick Samyn looked out at the two acres of industrial brownfield surrounding the monastery and he didn’t see empty space. He saw a farm. [...] he built there a first a few raised beds, that eventually became the 2.5-acre farm it is today" (Ref.4)

Environmental impact indicators

Green space area created (in ha)

1.01

Economic impacts

Increase of green jobs (e.g. paid employment positions)

Achieved increase of green jobs (e.g. paid employment positions)

Generation of other type of work opportunities (e.g. voluntary, work for rehabilitation)

Achieved generation of other type of work opportunities (e.g. voluntary, work for rehabilitation)

More sustainable tourism

Achieved more sustainable tourism

Increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)

Achieved increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)

Generation of income from NBS

Achieved generation of income from NBS

Description of economic benefits

-Increase of green jobs (e.g. paid employment positions): "Today Tyler is the farm manager at Earthworks. In the EAT program Brittney and the other students learned not only how to grow food, process it, and market it – they also learned business management. Because of this Brittney was inspired to start her own green-based business." (Ref.4)
-Generation of other type of work opportunities (e.g. voluntary, work for rehabilitation): "The team of one friar became a staff of five and a roster of over a hundred volunteers." (Ref.4)
-More sustainable tourism: "Today, volunteers come from all over the world. They’ve had several groups from France and Germany who were inspired by the work." (Ref.4)
-Increase in agricultural production (for profit or not): "Earthworks has about one‐hectare of land (previously vacant land) dedicated to food production." (Ref.5)
-Generation of income from NBS: "Like some other UA organizations they sell produce under the retail price, therefore it makes very small part of their income." (Ref.5)

Evidence for use of assessment

Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process

Unknown

Presence of indicators used in reporting

No evidence in public records

Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports

No evidence in public records

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

No evidence in public records

Name of any specific impact assessment tools

Unknown.

Use of GIS in mapping impacts

No evidence in public records

Cost-benefit analysis

Unknown

Transparency

Inclusion of diverse stakeholders in project governance processes (e.g. planning, implementation, monitoring, etc.)

Community forums for information sharing and encouraging the participation of marginalized groups

Justice

Community satisfaction

Positive: The majority of feedback and reports indicate high levels of satisfaction and appreciation for the NBS project within the community.

Description of locals satisfaction with the project

“For better or worse, true or not, Detroit has become a symbol worldwide of urban decline in the United States,” explains Brother Gary. “And so when you see things like Earthworks begin to flourish, that captivates the imagination and then they [tourist] want to come and see it themselves.” “I started off in their youth program and I just kept coming back because it was so interesting to me.” “It’s kept me out of trouble. Being in Detroit, things could be kind of rough. There were probably moments where if I didn’t come to the soup kitchen and learn how to grow food and things like that, I could have been out in the streets doing something I’m not supposed to be doing and probably getting myself into some kind of trouble. Being outside in nature, putting my hands in the ground, doing some hard work, pretty much built the character that I am now.” (Ref.4)

Trade-offs & Negative impacts

Unknown

Measures to prevent gentrification or displacement

No initiatives or policies were implemented

High-quality & Transformative NBS

Multiple impacts delivery (climate, biodiversity, just community)

Goal setting and impacts delivery

No, project goals were not set, and benefits were not delivered in all 3 key areas.

Reaching original project goals

Most of the project goals were achieved

Please specify the achievements of the project goals

Social justice and community:
-Improved access to urban green space/Increased opportunities for social interaction: “The garden was created to connect people to each other, the land, and their food. Over time, this simple, humble garden greatly expanded.” (Ref.1)
-Increased visibility and opportunity for marginalised groups or indigenous peoples: “Inspired by his relationship with neighborhood youth (whom he witnessed getting their groceries from the gas station), he [Capuchin Friar Brother Rick Samyn] decided the youth of the neighborhood needed to understand what good food was and where it came from.” (Ref.1)
-Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces: “Local volunteers help with weeding, harvesting, garden bed prepping, planting and general garden maintenance.” (Ref.6)
-Increased access to healthy/affordable food: “Over thirty thousand residents didn’t have access to a full-line grocery store and 50 percent of households were food insecure, relying on corner stores, liquor stores, or fast-food chains to eat. People would have to travel miles away from their homes for adequate or healthy food, which posed a problem for the third of Motor City residents who didn’t have access to a vehicle.” (Ref.4) “he [Capuchin Friar Brother Rick Samyn] decided the youth of the neighborhood needed to understand what good food was and where it came from. The garden was created to connect people to each other, the land, and their food.” (Ref.1)
-Increased knowledge of locals about local nature: “Earthworks has expanded to include a farm training program, Earthworks Agriculture Training (EAT), begun in 2010 to provide Detroit residents with skills needed to succeed in agriculture.” (Ref.4)

Long-term perspective

Yes

Cost-effective solutions

Unknown

Equitable impacts

A. All stakeholders benefit fairly from the project

Transformative capacity

Social change (e.g. social relationships, networks and dynamics within them)

Ecological change (e.g. ecosystem functions and their distribution)

Magnitude of change

Transformative: (deep) by focusing on and substantially changing structures, including institutional ones (norms and rules).

Application of lessons learned

The NBS has been shared or used as a good practice to trigger transformative change

Perception of Environmental Change

Yes

NBS Supports ecological or environmental anxiety

Unknown

6. Sources

References

Capuchin soup Kitchen (n.d.). Earthworks Urban Farm - About us. [Source link] [Archive];

Benefit on the bay (n.d.). Earthworks Urban Farm. Accessed on August 30, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

Detroit Planning and Development Department (2020). ISLANDVIEW GREATER VILLAGES. p. 40 Accessed on August 30, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

Kleczek, C. (2024). Earthworks Urban Farm. Plough, Accessed on August 30, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

Richtr, J. and Potteiger, M. (2015). FARMING AS A TOOL OF URBAN REBIRTH? URBAN AGRICULTURE IN DETROIT 2015: A CASE STUDY. Accessed on August 30, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

Taste the local differebce (n.d.). Earthworks Urban Farm. Accessed on August 30, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

United Way for Southeastern Michigan (n.d.). General Garden Maintenance. Accessed on August 30, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

Comments and notes

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