Detroit farmer Jerry Hebron tapped to help the USDA with urban farming policy reform
Hebron says she is honored to represent Detroit farmers and help take urban farming “to the next level.”
By Randiah Camille Green
Detroit Metro Times
Feb 4, 2022
Excerpt:
So it shouldn’t be surprising that a Detroit farmer, Jerry Hebron, has been selected to sit on the US Department of Agriculture’s Federal Advisory Committee on Urban Agriculture. Hebron is the executive director of Oakland Avenue Urban Farms in Detroit’s North End neighborhood.
“Detroit has been leading the country in urban agriculture for over a decade. We kind of set the standard for what is happening around the country in terms of urban farming,” Hebron tells Metro Times. “We want to build the case that urban agriculture is not just a hobby. It’s a serious career for many of these families and entrepreneurs that are growing their businesses and feeding their families.”
She joins 11 other non-profit representatives, educators, and development experts who will provide input on policy and “identify barriers to urban agriculture as USDA works to promote urban farming,” according to a press release.
“It is great to see a Detroit urban farmer, Jerry Ann Hebron, on the inaugural Advisory Committee on Urban Agriculture,” Tim Boring, State Executive Director in Michigan, said in the release. “We look forward to learning how we can better serve Michigan urban agricultural producers and improve our efforts focusing on equity, local food systems, climate change, and access to safe and nutritional food.”
