PROJECT OVERVIEW

The Brightmoor Farmstead Incubator Project (BFIP) is an initiative of Brightmoor Artisans Collective (BAC) to support the establishment of Black, Indigenous & people of color (BIPOC)- owned farmsteads in Brightmoor. BFIP is an extension of the work BAC already does in Brightmoor around food system equity and economic development, such as the B’Moor Nourished Free Pantry and our Incubator Kitchen.

Through the Brightmoor Farmstead Incubator Project, BAC aims to streamline the acquisition of vacant lots from the Detroit Land Bank Authority (DBLA) for BIPOC farmers in Detroit by establishing a land trust. All of the lots purchased from the DBLA will be held in trust by BAC solely for the purpose of supporting BIPOC land acquisition for small farmsteads up to 1 acre each in community approved areas of Brightmoor.

Purchasing farmers will also receive additional counseling & resources to support the establishment of their residential farm sites. Until farmstead sites are occupied by BIPOC resident-farmers, BAC will maintain the unused lots within the trust to ensure that they do not contribute to neighborhood blight before being occupied.

In the long term, participating farmers are encouraged to convene a producers cooperative business to strengthen their ability to self-advocate, hire specialized administrative staff to free farmers to focus solely on production, and to allow the cooperative farmers to compete with larger producers in the local food system. Brightmoor Artisans and partner organizations will provide free counseling and training to participating farmers to facilitate the establishment of a producers cooperative in Brightmoor.