Unlike some college students who wait to start careers after graduation, Kari Smith bought Green Diva Farms three years ago and got an early start.

The Belleville farm is stocked with fresh, chemical-free flowers and produce, including non-conventional sorts for customers five days a week. When Smith is not farming, she’s studying graduate courses at Eastern Michigan University.

“I want to give people the chance to learn about local organic food that helps benefit the community; it’s all about community,” Smith said. “The people in my program are a part of my community, and I think it’s great for them to experience being a part of the movement.”

At work, Smith’s co-workers value her greatly.

“I feel like I can learn a lot from her,” said Lindsay Looten, another EMU graduate student in the historic preservation program. “She’s doing exactly what I hope to accomplish within the next few years. A lot of people from our program help her on big harvest days; it’s so great that she lets us all get so involved, and so many people are willing to help her. She’s always giving things away; anyone that helps gets sent home with food.”

Another farmer who works closely with Smith had nothing bad to say about her.

“She’s very nice to work with, she’s hardworking, has a good rapport with her customers and she comes
up with creative ideas,” Michael Smith said.

Smith finished undergraduate studies from Loyola University in New Orleans. Two weeks into a graduate program at LU, word spread of Hurricane Katrina. She left for Georgia to save her home only to find it flooded. Somehow, she maintained a grateful persona.

“I lost some things, but my devastation is nothing compared to so many people,” she said.

After the tragedy, Smith moved back to Michigan and began the setup of what is now Green Diva Farms, a 3-acre establishment.

“My earliest memories are of me in the farm with my mother,” said Smith, whose family roots in organic farming can be traced back generations. “She taught me everything I know.”

Since Hurricane Katrina, she has returned to New Orleans to clean and rebuild the broken city as a Red Cross volunteer. As part of her role with the Urban Planning and Development Department of Detroit, Smith hopes to expand her business to benefit cities like Detroit that lack access to fresh and organic produce.

“I think it’s important for people to realize that there’s a movement — a local movement — that’s going on,” Smith said. “It’s pretty politically charged as far as fighting the large corporate entities that are providing a lot of our food and are covering it with chemicals that are really
unhealthy for our bodies.”

It’s no wonder through organic farming the market’s mission is to save the world one person at a time.
In fact, it has been said Green Diva Farms leaves customers feeling like they’re visiting family. The market, which is made up of different stations, even allows vendors to trade with each other, sharing the homemade for homegrown.

Smith’s station in particular is a bountiful spread of tomatoes, potatoes, onions, fresh herbs, shallots, floral arrangements and much more. She provides products for weddings and other special occasions depending on the growing season. With the unpredictable seasons in Michigan, Smith admits to investing in a hoop house, as its controlled temperatures and light exposures extend the production of
crops on the farm.

“This spring was tough; we had a monsoon season and the extra water flooded some of the crops,” Smith said. “And I always have to watch out for bugs since it’s an organic farm.”

The wholesale doesn’t stop at Green Diva. Smith sells select items from 2-6 p.m. Tuesdays at the Ypsilanti farmers market on Hamilton Street, off West Michigan Avenue.