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Of the 1320 acres preserved by the Greenbelt Program, 981 acres are actively farmed to produce traditional row crops such as corn, soybeans, and wheat.
Source: Ann Arbor Greenbelt Program |
What is the Greenbelt Program?
The Greenbelt Program is an innovative land preservation program that is funded by the voter-approved Greenbelt Millage, a 30-year, 0.5 mil tax levy. Funds generated through this millage are used to purchase new City parkland and to protect agricultural land and open space outside of the City, within the Greenbelt District. Major goals of the Greenbelt Program include protecting active farmland, natural areas, and land along the Huron River.
How is the Greenbelt Program enhancing local food sufficiency?
The Greenbelt Program is protecting active agricultural land from development. The 981 acres of farmland under protection are currently used to grow traditional row crops such as corn, soybeans, and wheat. Going forward, the Greenbelt Advisory Commission aims to make protection of farms producing local food a larger priority. In its 2009 Strategic Plan, the Commission identified locally produced foods, agri-tourism, and other agricultural specialty products sold directly to local markets as an emerging issue warranting greater consideration, and plans to amend its scoring system to allow smaller agricultural producers growing local food to be more competitive for land protection funds.
Even without an early emphasis on local food production, the Greenbelt Program has preserved a number of farms supplying local food or other crops to the Ann Arbor area. One such farm, Bur Oaks Farm, located right outside Ann Arbor, grows soybeans and popcorn that are roasted and sold locally under the label Rabble Roasters. Bur Oaks Farm products can be found at a number of local stores including Downtown Home and Garden, People's Food Co-op, Arbor Farms Food Market, Hiller's Market, and many others.
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Last Updated: July 2009