On the Map

Where in the World: Renewed Care for Old Agricultural Land

Tractor in monocrop plots Credit: Marcio Silva, Getty Images
A tractor sits in monocrop plots. Credit: Marcio Silva, Getty Images

Geography In The News logoGeography in the News is an educational series offered by the American Association of Geographers for teachers and students in all subjects. We include vocabulary, discussion, and assignment ideas at the end of each article. 

By Emily Frisan

The world will have to feed 10 billion people by 2050. For the past 60 years, agricultural production has been driven by management of labor, technological advancements, and the expansion of irrigated areas. In the United States, the rise of single-crop farming became more intense in the early 20th century. It powered a larger scale of production so we could feed a rapidly increasing global population. Despite this, over 735 million people worldwide still go to bed hungry each night.

The world’s agricultural land can be divided into two basic categories: cropland and land for livestock (pastureland). As of 2020, both of these cover 32 of the world’s total land area. That’s nearly 8% growth since 1961. Farms and pastures cover 40 of all habitable land in the world, about 4.2 billion hectares.

The immense agricultural space and over 14,000 edible plant species should mean more diversified food choices. Yet 75% of the world’s food comes from just twelve plant species and five animal species. Wheat, corn, and rice together provide nearly half of the world’s plant-derived calories. These major crops are often grown at large scales as “monocultures:” a single crop grown alone in large fields.

Where the World’s Food Grows

Before European colonization, thousands of ecosystems, species of plants, and animals thrived in regions worldwide. Agriculture was more local. Communities were rooted in local traditions for caring for land and growing food. Today, these major food-producing regions include Africa, Asia, and parts of North and South America.

Aerial photo of green fields and trees under blue sky with white clouds. Credit: Tom Fisk, Pexels
Credit: Tom Fisk, Pexels

 

The Global North and Global South are terms used to group countries based on their wealth and development. These categories are sorted to understand differences in how countries are similar economically and politically. Typically, the Global South countries’ economies depend on shipping out agricultural products and raw materials. While crops are grown worldwide, in 2020, the Global South accounted for 73% of agricultural production across the world. This has increased 33% since 1961.

Crops and livestock vary in different geographic regions. This might be due to climate, native species, or economic and cultural significance. For instance, the United States is a major producer of corn and soybeans. Countries like India and China are producers of rice and wheat. Explore this interactive map to learn about where your food comes from — past and present.

Old Techniques for New Growth

Feeding the world’s people is not as easy as expanding farmland. That would come at the cost of forests and other ecosystems. This further contributes to biodiversity loss and climate change. Agriculture is a leading cause of habitat loss, using 70% of global water use and releasing over 25% of the earth’s greenhouse gas emissions. Increasing agricultural productivity without using more land is essential. It is being lost to urban sprawl, erosion, sea level rise, change in climate, and chemical pollution.

An answer to these growing problems includes looking to Indigenous agriculture management systems. These practices include a wide range of techniques. For example, intercropping is used with multiple species of plants, such as the Three Sisters (corn, beans, and squash). Crop rotation is used to preserve soil health. Also, farmers can burn certain sections of the forest to clear the land for agriculture and encourage “interspecies synergies” where animals benefit from working together.

Mission Garden (Tucson) demonstrates the acequia system that used to bring Santa Cruz River water to area crops. Source: Wikimedia Commons
Mission Garden (Tucson) demonstrates the acequia system that used to bring Santa Cruz River water to area crops. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Once set aside by Western water managers, traditional irrigation practices like the “acequia system” can improve water quality using physical geography. Gravity carries water downhill. This slowly distributes minerals and rich soil throughout the landscape. Acequia developed from Native people’s experiences farming in the Southwest United States. The Acequia Institute in San Luis, Colorado, is one organization that is working to bring back traditional farming practices. They hope to revive Indigenous methods that work with natural water systems to introduce a closer connection of food and nutrition to the community.

And that is Geography in the News, updated October 10, 2025

Material in this article comes from “World Agricultural Land” (1997), an original article for Geography in the News by Neal Lineback, Appalachian State University.

AAG’s Geography in the News is inspired by the series of the same name founded by Neal Lineback, professor and the chair of Appalachian State University’s Department of Geography and Planning. For nearly 30 years from 1986 to 2013, GITN delivered timely explainer articles to educators and students, relevant to topics in the news. Many of these were published on Maps.com’s educational platforms and in National Geographic’s blogs. AAG is pleased to carry on the series.

 

Sources Consulted for this Article

Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) 2016. Where Our Food Crops Come From.

Center for Sustainable Systems at the University of Michigan. 2024. U.S. Food System Factsheet. Pub. No. CSS01-06..

Gilbert, S. 2025. An Ancient Irrigation System May Help Farmers Face Climate Change. Civil Eats.

Michigan State University. 2017. MSU Food Literacy and Engagement Poll: Wave I.

Our World in Data. 2019. “Land Use.” https://ourworldindata.org/land-use

PBS Learning Media. 2024. Less Harm on the Farm: Regenerative Agriculture.

Population Matters. 2024. Feeding Billions, Failing Nature.

Sylvester, K and Cunfer, G. 2009. An Unremembered Diversity: Mixed Husbandry and the American Grasslands. Agricultural History.

U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service. 2024. Global Changes in Agricultural Production, Productivity, and Resource Use Over Six Decades.

World Resources Report. 2018. Creating a Sustainable Food Future: Synthesis Report.

 

Vocabulary and Terms
  • Agrobiodiversity: Variety of animals, plants, and microorganisms used directly or indirectly for food and agriculture.
  • Agroecology: An approach that applies ecological and social concepts and principles to food and agricultural systems.
  • Food Gap: Refers to the disparity between those who have access to healthy food and those who don’t.
  • Food Insecurity: The condition of not having access to sufficient food, or food of an adequate quality, to meet one’s basic needs.
  • Food Desert: An area in which it is difficult to buy affordable or good-quality fresh food.
  • Food Swamp: Refers specifically to places where unhealthy foods like fast food are more readily available than nutritious options and grocery stores.
  • Global North: Refers to a group of countries that are generally more economically developed and wealthier, primarily located in Europe, North America, and developed parts of Asia.
  • Global South: Refers to a group of countries that are often characterized as developing or underdeveloped in regions such as Africa, Latin America, and parts of Asia.
  • Habitable land: Land that is suitable for human settlement.
  • Irrigation: The supply of water to land or crops to help growth.
  • Monoculture: The agricultural practice of cultivation of a single crop in a given area.
  • Plant-Derived Calories: The calories eaten from foods mainly derived from plants (fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, oils, grains, and beans).

 

Questions for Discussion and Further Study
  1. What has characterized agriculture for the past 60 years, and what are some alternative agricultural methods to feed the world’s growing population?
  2. Consider what you ate for one meal yesterday. How many types of plants or animals were part of your meal?
  3. Look up one of the 12 plant species and 5 animal species our agriculture relies on: can you find out why that species became such a staple of our diets? What is its history? Can you find information about a once-common food crop that is no longer popular?
  4. Does anyone in your family garden, and do they have tips or family secrets for managing water or plants?
  5. If we can’t simply expand our farmland to feed more people, what are some other solutions that the article did not mention?
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Emily Frisan
Emily Frisan

Sarah Praskievicz

Sarah Praskievicz, age 39, passed away peacefully from natural causes on August 11, 2025, in Guilford County, North Carolina. Born on July 28, 1986, in Worcester County, Massachusetts, Sarah’s life was marked by a deep passion for geography and a love of travel.

Sarah’s academic journey took her from her New England roots to the Pacific Northwest, where she earned her Master’s degree in Geography from Portland State University. Her pursuit of knowledge continued at the University of Oregon, where she proudly obtained her Ph.D. in Geography in 2014. After completing her studies, Sarah embarked on a distinguished career beginning at the University of Alabama before joining the Department of Geography, Environment, and Sustainability at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG).

Throughout her career as an Associate Professor, Sarah was deeply committed and inspiring to her students and colleagues, leaving a lasting and positive influence on all who knew her. Her dedication to education and the environment was evident in her vibrant and engaging teaching style, inspiring many young minds to explore the intricacies of the world.

Beyond her professional accomplishments, Sarah was an avid traveler who fulfilled her dream of visiting all seven continents. Her adventurous spirit and curiosity about the world around her were evident in every journey she undertook. She nurtured a profound appreciation for different cultures and landscapes, which enriched both her personal life and her academic pursuits.

Sarah is survived by her loving mother, Larrilee Praskievicz of Salem, Oregon; her father, Pauli Praskievicz of Portland, Oregon; her devoted brother, Adam Praskievicz, and cherished nephew, Seth, both of Salem, Oregon. Her family remembers her as a beloved daughter, sister, and aunt, whose warmth and kindness touched the hearts of everyone she met.

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Julian Wolpert

Julian Wolpert was born on December 26, 1932, to Rose and Harry (Hillel) in Brooklyn, New York. After attending Yeshiva for elementary school, Julian attended Erasmus Hall High School, where he met his future wife Eileen Selig, and graduated at the age of 16 in 1949.

Upon graduation, he enrolled at City College in New York and later transferred to Columbia University, where he received a degree in Economics in 1953. He and Eileen married in 1955, and the following year he entered Officer Training School for the U.S. Navy, as a Navigator at the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade.

Upon separating from the Navy in 1959, Julian entered the graduate program in Geography at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, completing his Ph.D. in 1963. He then joined the faculty at Michigan State University, transferring to the University of Pennsylvania in 1965. There, he rose to the rank of full professor. In 1973, he spent a sabbatical year at the Center for Advanced Studies in the Behavioral Sciences in Palo Alto, California. The following year, he became the Bryant Professor of Geography, Public Affairs, and Urban Planning in an endowed chair at Princeton University’s School of Architecture and Urban Planning, and later was a Guggenheim Fellow at Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He retired in 2005 and remained Professor Emeritus.

Over his career studying location theory, the provision of public and nonprofit services, urban development, and environmental policy, he received numerous distinctions. He was the first Geographer elected to the National Academy of Sciences (1977), became a Fellow of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, a Guggenheim Fellow, a Russell Sage Fellow, and a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He was also past Vice President and President of the Association of American Geographers, Vice President of the Regional Science Association, and was elected to the American Institute of Certified Planners. He testified before Congress and worked with various federal agencies, including the National Science Foundation, the U.S. State Department, and the National Institute of Mental Health.

He is the author of more than 100 highly significant books, journal articles, and reports. He was a pioneer in the use of computers and multivariate analysis of large data sets.

“His research and teaching always revolved around the underserved and the mobilization of resources and policies to better serve them,” recalled colleague John Seley, professor emeritus, of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Psychology, at CUNY Graduate Center.

Julian Wolpert is survived by a sister, Judith, children Seth, Jesse, Joshua, and Rebekah, and grandchildren Geoffrey, David, Jake, Samuel, Benjamin, Isabel, Lily, and Ida.

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On the Map

The Hills of San Francisco

Street hill gradient showing homes built on a slope with cars parked on the deeply slanted street.
Street hill gradient in San Francisco

Unlike the rest of California, San Francisco has a unique geography that shapes its weather and settlement patterns. The city is set on the tip of a peninsula halfway up the coast of northern California, surrounded by bodies of water on three of its sides: the Pacific Ocean, the Golden Gate strait, and the San Francisco Bay. The city is laid out over hills that stretch from coast to coast, reaching heights of nearly 1,000 feet, making the climate similar to coastal areas on the Mediterranean.

The hills of San Francisco define its topography and culture. It’s hard to pinpoint the exact number in the city, but many sources consider there to be more than 50 named hills. As Pulitzer Prize-winning San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen notes in his introduction to the Hills of San Francisco, no one can quite agree on which [hills]. Although it’s debated among locals, there are seven hills that are iconic to the city: Russian Hill, Nob Hill, Telegraph Hill, Twin Peaks, Mount Davidson, Mount Sutro, and Rincon Hill.

So, when is a hill a hill? Self-proclaimed San Francisco explorer Dave Schweisguth claims, “When it’s a lone mountain. That is, if you can walk all the way around it, always looking up to its summit. It’s not so clear cut when hills run together into a ridge, which most of San Francisco’s do. Height alone is not so important: a very small hill may be perfectly obvious, while a string of higher summits may be hard to tell one from the next. It’s easier to call a hill a hill if it’s separated from its neighbors — if, on a topographic map, a contour line or two traces all the way around its summit.”

The Range of Iconography

Originally named Blue Mountain for the wildflowers that cover the hillside, the city’s tallest hill was renamed Mt. Davidson at the urging of the Sierra Club in 1911, after George Davidson, the geographer who surveyed it. It is the focal point of San Francisco’s Mt. Davidson Park, with a forest that accounts for more than 30 of the park’s acres, quietly remaining an oasis in the most densely settled city in California. Defined by a 100-foot cross at its peak, Mount Davidson stands at an elevation of 928 feet. Urban hikers share that despite how small the overall area is, the trails aren’t consistently marked, which causes explorers to get lost in the woods.

Hikers also recommend Mount Sutro, located in central San Francisco, for its role in the city’s cultural and natural history. Its century-old trails are now preserved by the University of California, San Francisco, which guides the long-term restoration of the 61 acres and protects the ecological oasis in the heart of the urban environment, along with the citizen group Sutro Stewards. The city’s elevation and abundant summer fog contribute to the mountain’s microclimates and its plant and wildlife communities.

 

View of San Francisco from Twin Peaks showing the city skyline wrapping around several hills
Twin Peaks view in San Francisco. Credit: optionm, Getty Images

 

Originally called “Los Pechos de la Choca” (Breasts of the Maiden) by early Spanish settlers, Twin Peaks is a main landmark of San Francisco’s skyline, reaching elevations of 910 and 922 feet. Similar to Mt. Davidson and Mt. Sutro, Twin Peaks hosts a 64-acre park of coastal scrub and grassland communities that offer an idea of how San Francisco’s hills and peaks looked before development changed them forever.

Early in defining San Francisco’s history, Nob Hill, Russian Hill and Telegraph Hill continue to remain among the most popular neighborhoods to visit.

 

Aerial photo showing the curve of Lombard Street winding down the hill between homes
Lombard street in San Francisco Lockdown. Credit: Tiago Ignowski, Getty Images

 

Russian Hill’s name dates to 1847 when Russian sailors were buried on the hill during the gold rush in the 1800s. The burial sites are long since deeply covered, and it’s now only possible to admire a plaque at the site where the cemetery once stood. This is the same neighborhood home to the famous Lombard Street, that draws tourists from around the world due to its scenic switchbacks and postcard views. Because the slope in this area reaches 27° (51%), 8 hairpin bends were put in the 1300 feet between Hyde Street and Leavenworth Street to allow cars to drive down the street, ultimately creating one of the most winding streets in the world.

Russian Hill borders Nob Hill to the south, one of the city’s most upscale neighborhoods.  Originally called California Hill (after California Avenue, which runs right over it), Nob Hill got its name from the word “nabob” that originated from the Hindu word meaning a wealthy or powerful person. This affluent neighborhood was home to the Central Pacific Railroad tycoons known as the “Big Four,” who were among the first to build their mansions here.

 

View of Telegraph Hill from below showing buildings and homes rising up to the tower atop the hill.
View up to Telegraph Hill’s Coit Tower. Credit: slobo, Getty Images Signature

 

Telegraph Hill hosts Coit Tower, an iconic piece of architecture that resembles a fire hose and affords incredible views of the city; its walls are also home to historic artwork. Originally, the Tower was a windmill-like structure created in 1849 to signal ships entering the Golden Gate. Once the trek is completed, the summit provides a breathtaking panoramic view of the city with landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and the Transamerica Pyramid.

Whether you’re taking a leisurely stroll or hiking the steepest routes, you can recall the words of the iconic San Francisco journalist Herb Caen, who once said, “Take anything from us — our cable cars, our bridges, even our Bay — but leave us our hills.”

You can hit the trails with a guided tour or explore the city on your own. The SF Gate compiled a list of 11 hikes within the city limits that allow visitors and residents to get to know the landscape. An interactive map created by a UC Berkeley graduate student studying urban planning maps SF’s slopes and uses simple color coding to show where the flattest pockets of land are. If you’ll be attending AAG’s 2026 Annual Meeting in San Francisco, you’ll want to bring your walking shoes!

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Resources

AAG Journal Articles on Black Geographies and Racial Justice

Image showing signs placed on fencing outside Lafayette Park in Washington, DC, on June 7, 2020; photo by Becky Pendergast
Credit: Becky Pendergast

The following titles reflect vital scholarship on Black Geographies in AAG’s journals in recent years. Through September 30, 2025, AAG and Taylor & Francis are providing free access to these articles, available for download at the links listed below.

For additional reading recommendations, see Black Geographies Reading List, sponsored by the AAG Black Geographies Specialty Group.

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Advocacy

A Voice for Geographers

The following statements and actions represent AAG’s work to protect and strengthen geography and geographers, address pressing public issues, and to protect science funding and academic freedom. For a comprehensive look at AAG’s positions over the years, check out our advocacy in the Resource Hub.

 

Academic Freedom and Commitment to Geography’s Future

 

Standing Up for Science

 

Climate Action

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AAG Staff

Brian Berry

On January 2, 2025, Dr. Brian Berry passed away at the age of 90. Renowned for his influential work in urban and regional research, he was also a past AAG president (1978-79).

Berry was born in Sedgely, Staffordshire, United Kingdom on February 16, 1934. He graduated from University College, London, with a B.Sc. in Economics with first class honors in 1955. He was a Fulbright scholar at the University of Washington, where he completed an M.A. in 1956, and a Ph.D. in 1958, studying under noted geographer and leader of the quantitative revolution, William Garrison, in the Department of Geography.

Upon completing his Ph.D., he began his career, which spanned more than six decades. In 1958 he was named the Irving B. Harris Professor of Urban Geography, chairman of geography and director of the Center for Urban Studies at the University of Chicago. Berry’s early spatial analytic research helped spark the scientific revolution that occurred in geography and urban studies in the 1960s, making him the world’s most frequently cited geographer for more than 25 years. He refined the concept of “central place theory” and laid the foundations of analytic urban geography, spatial analysis, and of geographic information science.

In 1975, Berry was the youngest social scientist ever elected to the National Academy of Sciences. He subsequently was named a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and of the British Academy. From 1976 to 1981, Berry joined Harvard University where he served as the Frank Backus Williams Professor of City and Regional Planning, chair of the Ph.D. Program in Urban Planning, director of the Laboratory for Computer Graphics and Spatial Analysis, and a faculty fellow of the Institute for International Development. He was appointed University Professor of Urban Studies and Public Policy and dean of the Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University, until he joined the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) in 1986.

At UTD, Berry became the first director of the Bruton Center for Development Studies. In 2005, he was appointed dean of what was then the School of Social Sciences before he engineered its transformation into the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences (EPPS).

Among his many accolades, Berry was the 1978-79 President of the Association of American Geographers. In 1988, he was also awarded the Victoria Meda, the Royal Geographical Society’s highest honor, and the Vautrin Lud Prize — considered the “Nobel Prize for Geography” — in 2005. He also earned the Kondratieff Medal from the Russian Academy of Sciences in 2017 and the Stanley Brunn Award for Creativity in Geography from the American Association of Geographers in 2020. Most recently, in 2021, Berry earned the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science Research Award. The award recognized Berry’s early research on geographic information systems — specifically his conceptualization of the geographic matrix in 1964 — that continues to shape practice and to ensure conceptual and functional linkages between geographic information science technique and the field’s intellectual core.

Although Berry authored over 550 books and articles, he is most proud of being the advisor to more than 150 Ph.D. students and has served on an equal number of other doctoral committees. Many of his students have gone on to successful academic and professional careers in their own right.

He also has been an active family historian and genealogist, with many additional publications to his name, most recently delving into genetic genealogy. Brian retired from active academic life to become a “gentleman rancher” in 2020. Brian is survived by his wife, Janet (Shapley) Berry; son, Duncan J. Berry; and daughter, Diane Berry Yakel.

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On the Map

Sowing the Seeds for Food Sovereignty in Detroit

An urban farm plot of beds with crops and flowers sits in front of a building painted with an artistic mural, courtesy Michigan Urban Farming Initiative - MUFI
Photo courtesy Michigan Urban Farming Initiative (MUFI)

Urban agriculture is blossoming in Detroit, gaining recognition for its “green revolution,” through the rise of urban gardens and farms. With a total of 139 square miles or over 100,000 empty lots being vacant, this provides an opportunity to incorporate green spaces into communities throughout the city.

Urban gardening isn’t new to Detroiters. During the economic crisis of 1893, “Potato patches” helped feed hungry families and taught people how to grow their own food during times of social and economic crises. Later, in the 1970s, Mayor Coleman Young’s “Farm a Lot” program set an ambitious goal of transforming 3,000 empty lots into urban gardens. In the late 1960s the Black Panther party served breakfast to children in Black communities — highlighting the racialized gaps in funding from the United States government. The connections among community, mutual aid, and growing and providing food go far back in Detroit. Rather than working against each other, cooperatives and mutual aid programs ensure that groups can pull resources together to beat the system at its own game.

Detroit’s history of gardening, farming, and giving to neighbors shows how communities can move beyond food justice and into food sovereignty. Food justice addresses hunger at a basic level; food sovereignty takes it up a level to define, own, and dictate a food system. This in turn provides the earth with increased resilience to crises and climate impacts, in addition to promoting autonomy for communities. According to shakara tyler, co-executive director of the Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network, part of creating a just society and systems means, “shifting from extractive economy and reinvesting into the regenerative economy.”

The growth of urban agriculture in Detroit is a testament to the resilience and innovation of its people. Initiatives such as the Oakland Avenue Urban Farm and Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network are prime examples of how community-based organizations can catalyze change, serving as educational platforms for sustainable living. Explore gardens and organizations below to see how modern food sovereignty is inspiring Detroiters to create a deep praxis within other justice movements across local and state-wide levels.

View of plants growing in beds in an urban garden plot in Detroit, Michigan
Urban garden plot in Detroit, MI

 

Michigan Urban Farming Initiative

7432 Brush St, Detroit, MI 48202

Based in Detroit’s North End community, Michigan Urban Farming Initiative’s (MUFI) redevelopment of a three-acre area in Detroit’s North End, is being positioned as an “epicenter of urban agriculture.” With the goal of creating a sustainable “agrihood” with multiple projects, the campus is divided into thirds: production farming, interactive agriculture, and hardscaped spaces, such as their Community Resource Center. Since operating out of their new headquarters, MUFI has been able to grow and distribute over 50,000 pounds of produce (grown using organic methods) to over 2,000 households within 2-square miles at no cost to the recipients.

Oakland Avenue Urban Farm

9227 Goodwin St, Detroit, MI 48211

Operating out of Detroit’s North End neighborhood since 2010, the Oakland Avenue Urban Farm (OAUF) is “cultivating healthy foods, jobs, and active cultural spaces.” The “Farm” grows over 33 varieties of vegetables and fruits and operates a “Harvest on Demand” option with local farmers markets, allowing neighbors to have consistent access to produce. In addition to partnering with local chefs and nonprofits to distribute tens of thousands of hot meals across the city, OAUF provides training opportunities, manages a community land trust, and brings together youth to improve learning and leadership skills.

Keep Growing Detroit

1445 Adelaide St, Detroit, MI 48207

Keep Growing Detroit (KGD) is working to cultivate a food sovereign city where the majority of fruits and vegetables consumed by Detroiters are grown by residents within the city’s limits. Their Garden Resource Program (GRP) supports urban gardening in the city by providing high-quality resources to family, community, school, and market gardens located in Detroit, Highland Park, and Hamtramck. Participants receive seeds, transplants, personalized garden assistance from staff, and a connection to an incredible network of gardeners, farmers, and advocates for a thriving food system across the city.

Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network

11000 W Mcnichols Rd Ste 103, Detroit, MI 48221

Another non-profit that aims to amplify and create sustainable and equitable food systems is the Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network (DBCFSN). The 7-acre urban “D-Town Farm” grows more than 36 different fruits, vegetables, and herbs with cultural and social significance, with the intention of farming what people want to eat and in high demand. Their work to shift the understanding of food, is a way to have sovereignty and learn about the importance of these systems. In addition to providing security, DBCFSN co-founded the Detroit Black Farmer Land Fund with KGD and OAUF to support rebuilding black land wealth. Since 2020, over 239 awards have been made to residents, businesses, and organizations.

North End Agri-Arts Alley

Currently under-going construction

In March 2023, the city announced four new Arts Alley locations in North End, Detroit. Specifically, the North End Alley will be the first Agri-Arts alley as part of a federal grant to transform dilapidated alleys into artistic oases. Anchored by the Oakland Avenue Urban Farm in partnership with artists from the Oakland Avenue Artists Coalition, this green alley will complement the Oakland Avenue Farmer’s Market, North End Resource Center, Oakland Avenue Cooperative Greenhouse, and Black Bottom Garden Center. Major construction is currently underway and is expected to be completed in late Spring 2025.

Urban farms and gardens are not just places to grow food; they are hubs of community activity, education, and empowerment. While the challenge remains to make these green spaces accessible to all, efforts are being made by the city to provide urban agriculture government guidance and infrastructure. In September 2023, the city of Detroit named Tepfirah Rushdan, former co-director of Keep Growing Detroit, its first director of Urban Agriculture. Over the past decade, the movement has seen substantial growth, transitioning from a few community gardens to a network of over 2,00 gardens and farms engaging nearly 20,000 Detroiters as of 2023.

Watch the webinar recording “Building Black Food Sovereignty in Detroit,” featuring shakara tyler, as part of our Preparing for the Detroit 2025 Annual Meeting webinar series.

You can register for the 2025 Annual Meeting field visit “Feeding a City: The Geography of Urban Food Systems” hosted by the Food and Agriculture Specialty Group to further explore Detroit’s urban food system landscapes.

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News

Why Stay at the Conference Hotel?

Two people review and discuss financial documents

By Antoinette WinklerPrins, AAG Council Treasurer

Photo of Antoinette WinklerPrinsThis is the third in a short series of perspectives by 2024-2026 Council Treasurer Antoinette WinklerPrins, a series designed to help illuminate some of the financial challenges a professional organization such as the AAG faces.

As we plan for the next Annual Meeting in Detroit in March 2025, many of us are deciding where to lodge. There are many factors to consider in deciding where to stay, including cost, proximity to the meeting venue, and desired experience (e.g. access to a kitchen, neighborhood vs. downtown, ability to share accommodations). Different kinds of lodging offer different advantages: the conference hotel, nearby hotels, or an option such as AirBnB or VRBO.

AAG reserves discounted rooms in a nearby conference hotel at each annual meeting. How do you know whether it is the best choice for you? In this column, I explore some reasons you already know and maybe a few that you don’t.

Discounts, Convenience, and Collegiality

The AAG conference hotel is always chosen with proximity to the meeting in mind. That’s one important strength in its favor. Most years, events or receptions are even held in the conference hotel. Staying there also offers opportunities to network more intensely, with serendipitous encounters with new and old colleagues in the morning and evenings, opportunities to bring together groups to explore, have meals, or just talk shop.

While the cost of staying at a conference hotel can be higher than at a more modest facility, it is a better overall value at the discounted rate once you factor in this convenience and access to colleagues.

All for One and One for All

Staying at the conference hotel also benefits AAG as your host, and thus the broader community of participants in the meeting. It enables AAG to save on overhead and devote more resources to programming, keynote speakers, and amenities. Here’s how it works:

When AAG plans for and arranges specific annual meetings, we enter into a contract with at least one or several hotels many years in advance. The hotel sets aside conference room space for our meeting in exchange for us guaranteeing a minimum spent on lodging as well as food and beverage at the hotel.

Aside from giving us meeting space, we also lock in conference room rates. And, since the contracts are typically signed 7-8 years in advance, the savings for members can be quite high. And that is where you as members come in.

As we must commit to a specific number of nights that members book hotel rooms and consume food and beverages at the facility. If we fall short, AAG must pay the difference, which can be a substantial cost that then must be absorbed in our operating budget going forward.  At times of budget precarity, this is an expense we prefer to avoid.

Something similar is true for food and beverage obligations. As with lodging, we base this on estimated attendance. The hotel sets meeting rooms aside, and we pay for them through a minimum food and beverage spend. So, the food and drink you see at events is actually part of our “rent” for the rooms we all meet in. If we don’t spend the contractual minimum, AAG must pay the difference. So, if an event seems extravagant, remember that AAG is required to spend the funds and is seeking to maximize the benefit to participants.

We understand that every attendee will seek the best deal for lodging. However, if you are in a position to choose from among many options, we urge you to opt for the lodging that AAG has carefully chosen to suit the meeting location and capacity. Doing so will help us meet contractual obligations that help us host the most successful meeting possible, and it will help maximize opportunities to connect with our AAG worldwide community.

This is the last of my initial short series of Treasurer’s Columns. You might hear from me again in the future when there is a need to clarify financial issues around AAG’s operations.  I appreciate you taking the time to read these and think on the matters I have shared. Please send your comments and questions with the subject line “Treasurer’s Corner” to [email protected].

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Collective Concerns Governance and Policy Planning and Development Sharing Knowledge
Antoinette WinklerPrins
Antoinette WinklerPrins