The purpose of our project was to assess how Ypsilanti‐based nonprofit Growing Hope can best use the
Growing Hope Center, a tract of land recently purchased by the organization, to promote garden‐related
social enterprise activities. To carry out this assessment, we first carried out a literature review of relevant
topics. We then surveyed numerous urban agriculture nonprofits and conducted site visits of those we
deemed especially relevant to Growing Hope’s circumstances. We also surveyed Ypsilanti residents to
assess which services and programs they would like the Growing Hope Center to provide, and found there
to be sufficient community demand for a market gardener training program. We additionally conducted a
survey of food businesses within Washtenaw County, which revealed that many local businesses would be
willing to purchase produce from Growing Hope. We finally examined the role a food policy council can
play in a local food system, leading us to the recommendation that Growing Hope form an Ypsilanti Food
Policy Council. Based on this research, we have formulated two potential models for Growing Hope to
pursue at the Growing Hope Center, which we have named the Food Security Model and the High
Production Model. The Food Security Model targets a large number of residents with a home gardener
training program, focusing on self‐reliance and healthy food access, while the High Production Model
intensively trains a small number of participants in intensive small scale farming techniques, giving them
job skills and the ability to earn income through gardening. We conclude our report by offering a general
set of recommendations that can apply to a wide range of urban agriculture nonprofits.