Growing Opportunity: How the Drew Horticulture Program Is Cultivating Skills, Confidence—and Fresh Produce—in Detroit
At the Charles R. Drew Transition Center in Detroit, horticulture is more than a class—it’s a pathway to independence, employment skills, and community impact. Under the leadership of horticulture instructor Michael Craig, the Drew Horticulture Program has grown into one of the nation’s largest school-based Farm-to-School horticulture programs, combining hydroponic and traditional growing systems to produce thousands of pounds of fresh food each year. Students with a wide range of disabilities participate in every step of the process—from seeding and cultivation to harvesting and sales—supplying produce to school cafeterias, local markets, and even Detroit’s fine-dining restaurants. In this Q&A, Michael shares how controlled environment agriculture is creating meaningful opportunities for students while demonstrating how inclusive agricultural programs can thrive.
For readers who may not be familiar with the Charles R. Drew Transition Center, can you describe the mission of the school and how the Drew Horticulture Program fits into its broader goal of preparing students for independent living and employment?
It is the mission of the Drew Horticulture Program for all students to have access to materials and programs to learn, develop and participate in obtaining the skills of Horticulture through planting, management, consumption and sales of vegetables and flowers. Through interactive methods carefully designed around students’ specific disabilities and to allow for maximum involvement and skill development, the Gardens at Drew has become the model for the nation in the methodology and programs developed to educate center-based special education students in the areas of Horticulture Science. As is the mission of our school, the objectives of the Gardens at Drew center around the development of a comprehensive program to allow each student to gain functional independence and/or job readiness skills in the production, consumption and sale of food and food-related products.
For context, the Drew Transition Center provides work skills education in a wide variety of methods, with student growth being the focus. Teachers at Drew run a gamut of specialized programs such as laundry, our school store, the Cozy Café, our Copy Center, Woodworking program, Horticulture and more. These programs are designed to provide an avenue for the acquisition of skills for possible placement in our work-based learning program, then for possible employment and/or functional independence. For example, students in our laundry classes learn to wash and fold clothing and towels, transitioning to a work-based program at Henry Ford Hospital where they wash and fold scrubs. We realize that actual hands-on skill development is the primary method of successful learning for special needs students, and we try to create as many avenues for success as we can.
You’ve built one of the largest school-based Farm-to-School horticulture program in the country. How did the Drew Horticulture Program get started, and how has it evolved into the large-scale operation it is today?
The vision for the Drew Horticulture Program began in the fall of 2012 during a meeting betwen myself, our principal, Robert Avedisian, and Detroit Public Schools Community District’s Executive Director of School Nutrition, Betti Wiggins. During that meeting, they outlined a plan to create a horticulture program connected to Senator Debbie Stabenow’s Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, which allows federal school food funding to support school garden programs where produce grown by students can be used in the school lunch program. The idea was to grow fresh food on the Drew campus both to support healthier meals—helping address issues such as childhood obesity, early-onset diabetes, and hypertension—and to create a hands-on vocational program for Drew students. As a transition center serving young adults ages 18–26 with disabilities, Drew focuses on developing skills that support independence, job readiness, and potential employment. With my background of involving students throughout my career in community service activities and innovative programming, Mr. Avedisian and Ms. Wiggins wanted me to start and run this highly innovative program.
Detroit Public Schools Community District’s Drew Horticulture Program is a two-acre farm that produces food for school cafeterias and offers programming for school field trips and other community events. Drew Farm, a production-focused farm operating on the grounds of the Charles R. Drew Transition Center, has grown from one hoophouse to the current seven plus 1.5 acres of outdoor growing space. It is one of the largest Farm-to-School programs in the country. For more than a decade, the students at Drew have been working with in-ground, hydroponic, and aquaponic growing techniques, with the indoor hydroponic operation producing between 2000-3000 heads of leafy greens per month year-round.
The Drew Horticulture Program was conceived as a program where food would be grown on Drew’s almost 3-acre campus to combat childhood obesity, hypertension, and early-onset diabetes through the school lunch program, while at the same time providing much-needed vocational horticulture skills for special-needs students. The Charles R. Drew Transition Center is a postsecondary program for young people with disabilities to access speech, physical, and occupational therapy while learning vocational and daily living skills that may lead to employment and full inclusion into community life. Students in the Drew Horticulture Program assist with harvesting tomatoes and more, clearing the fields, weeding, and other tasks, while also learning how to process and clean vegetables for their school lunch program. The other component of the program consists of the production of both in-ground and hydroponic food products for two high-end Detroit restaurants, Chartreuse and Freya and the Detroit Salsa Company. It also sells produce at Eastern Market, at the stall operated by partner Keep Growing Detroit. All proceeds from the sale of produce return to the program to provide sustainability and viability as the program expands.
The Drew Horticulture Program has become the model for the nation in methodology and programs developed to educate center-based special education students in the areas of horticulture science. The objectives of the program center on helping each student gain functional independence and/or job readiness skills in the production, consumption, and sales of food and food-related products. Drew students, due to their cognitive deficits, do not qualify for standard employment opportunities. The program enables students to work daily to master vocational skills, progress further through an extended school year program, then progress to work-study placements in the community. Student response to their involvement has been amazing, showing their appreciation for the ability to work in the program with increased attendance rates and strong work ethic. Students also are aware that they may end up with an opportunity for a work-based learning position or an employment offer, so the incentive to perform daily is there.
Your program integrates hydroponic and controlled environment agriculture systems—including NFT and Dutch Bucket systems—to grow leafy greens, tomatoes, and peppers year-round. How do students participate in the production process, and what technical and workplace skills do they gain through this hands-on experience?
In the daily experience that is the Charles Drew Transition Center, students transition much like a normal high school, with seven hours in the day with each hour dedicated to different work skills programs or functional skill acquisition. All Drew students come with differing disabilities from cognitive deficits, hearing deficits or physical limitations. Knowing this, differentiated instruction happens daily in every class period, with vocational horticulture skills being adapted to students’ ability to accomplish them. For example, I have a class where the level of functionality is extremely low, but they are really good at rote production tasks. They will have the responsibility to place plugs into cell packs, pull weeds, or spread compost or mulch. Other classes can place plants into hydroponic systems, harvest hydroponic plants for processing or pick peppers or tomatoes from the plants. Still more, like my class of Hearing-Impaired students, can do these tasks and more independently. It’s very rewarding for me to be able to watch and only assist as they work together to harvest an entire table, cut the produce, place it tenderly into produce bags then boxes, and transfer to the refrigerator to await transport to the restaurant. Most rewarding, especially since we are a year-round indoor/outdoor program, students pick up on the fact that depending on the season, there is always a task to do, with the reward being the harvesting of food products for our clients.
I think what makes the Drew Horticulture Program unique is that all students, no matter the disability, are taught and can witness totality of skills, from seeding, management and harvest of plants to the return of their instructor on Monday with a check showing the proceeds of their efforts. This entrepreneurial aspect helps students realize that they are part of something special, especially when we receive visitors to the program, and they can talk about what we do.
Drew students grow produce not only for the school lunch program but also for local restaurants and community outlets. How has connecting your students’ work to real customers and markets impacted their confidence, job readiness, and sense of purpose?
I think the real change in students’ viewpoints happened the year we transitioned from being primarily a soil-based operation growing food for the school lunch program to introducing hydroponics as our primary form of growing for fine dining Detroit establishments. Yes, we still employ soil-based growing in the production of Roma Tomatoes, Serrano Peppers and Cilantro for the Detroit Salsa Company, utilizing the skills of rototilling ( a student favorite, especially for the girls who prove they can operate machinery), weeding, composting and season extension practices for developing skills, but the introduction of hydroponic growing was the game-changer. To be able to produce leafy green produce good enough for the finest restaurants is a terrific motivator, and one that I constantly stress by insisting on gloving up to handle seeds, plugs and plants, being meticulous in how we do things to “make our Chef happy.” The fact that our chef has an open invitation to visit Drew—and often comes to speak with our students about how he uses their greens in his cooking—is incredibly motivating. Winning national awards for our programming has also reinforced that our program is recognized for growing food the right way. So, whether we are growing food for our restaurants or donating to local food pantries, students understand that they are a part of the community through their work in helping to feed their neighbors.
You were named the 2025 Teacher of the Year by the Council for Exceptional Children. Looking ahead, what’s next for the Drew Horticulture Program, and what advice would you offer to other schools or organizations interested in using controlled environment agriculture to create meaningful workforce opportunities for students with disabilities?
Boy, this is a loaded question. The Drew Horticulture Program is fortunate in that we were the recipients of a grant through the Honda North America Foundation. Through this, we were able to install a heat pump system in one of our high tunnels and convert the high tunnel from a soil-based growing program to totally hydroponic one, allowing for expansion of our offerings to restaurant clients with the thought of adding a fourth client. The expansion includes four new NFT systems to go along with four Dutch Bucket systems for Cilantro and Serrano Peppers. We were also able to transition from standard T5 Fluorescent lights to LED lighting for all our NFT units. We have already noticed the difference in product with the adjustable lighting resulting in perfect outputs. With these new additions, we are as close to commercial operation as a school-based program can get.
As a leading Farm-to-School/Table program, I am lucky to be a large part of both the urban agriculture and horticultural education scene in Detroit and other areas of the country through speaking engagements. When talking with educators and others in the field, I always give the advice that the use of controlled environment agriculture is perhaps the best thing I have done, for it allows students – regardless of disabilities – the opportunity to do work in the production of food products. Our wheelchair students can do the work of their able-bodied peers because controlled environment agriculture is the difference-maker. I can shut the machine down when harvesting, remove the channels of produce, and place it at a level where they can reach to experience the delight of an outstanding harvest. This same technique can be applied to the placement of plants into the system. So, when a student who happens to be in a wheelchair due to their disability has the same opportunity as others to demonstrate work skills, the playing field becomes leveled.
For schools or organizations thinking of adding controlled environment agriculture to their programs, I would advise starting small, see how it goes, have a purpose for the future, and go for it!
About the Charles R. Drew Transition Center
To learn more about the Charles R. Drew Transition Center and the innovative horticulture work led by Michael Craig and his students, visit: https://drew.detroitk12.org/