Urban Farms and Transformation: Communities Mobilize to “Fix Broken Food Systems”

Finding affordable fresh and healthy food in New York can be difficult: there is a conspicuous shortage of “traditional” grocery stores. The food retail stores available in my NY neighborhood, for example, include corner store/delis (or “bodegas”), selling mostly over-priced, processed foods; fast food vendors; and one extremely expensive community co-op natural food store.

The food situation I have experienced in New York is not unique to my neighborhood. In fact, according to the NYC Department of City Planning, the city’s supermarket shortage affects 3 million New Yorkers—with those living in low-income neighborhoods most adversely affected [read more]. Of the 11,600 food retailers across New York City’s five boroughs, only 550 supply affordable, healthy food; 10,000 are bodegas; and 800 are pharmacies like Rite Aid and Walgreens.[1] So what does a New Yorker turn to for nutritional sustenance? For some, the answer is urban farming.

On Saturday, May 9^th, a group of CSD delegates ventured to Brooklyn to visit three community urban farming site. First on our agenda was Brooklyn Rescue Mission (BRM), a community-based project located in Bedford-Stuyvesant (Bed-Stuy) that is developing creative solutions around food justice, community health and economic challenges. BRM is a particularly important initiative in Bed-Stuy, where 35% of  residents live in poverty, 20% are unemployed, and “subprime foreclosures have more than doubled since 2005 at a rate more than four times the national average" [read more].

Many people in the community rely on emergency food assistance programs to meet their daily nutritional needs. BRM has been a long-time food pantry provider for community members. In 2005, recognizing the need for an empowering solution to end community hunger, it partnered with other New York City’s environmental and food justice organizations to transform an abandoned lot behind the Mission (which had served as a neighborhood garbage dump) into a space to grow fruits and vegetables for pantry recipients. Since its creation the site has evolved not only into an urban farm that has served several hundred people, but also into a space for community gatherings, community service and youth education.

Located in an area which lacks healthy food options (otherwise known as a "food desert") BRM endeavors to make urban farming a “starting point for a self-reliance movement, empowering neighborhood residents to take ownership of their own food supply, nutrition and neighborhood revitalization”.

 It also seeks to “build community pride, provide healthy provisions to its neediest residents, encourage youth entrepreneurship and develop a communal culture towards land use and community health through an innovative sustainable food system.” Reclaiming food systems is critical in an area like Bed-Stuy, where more than 1 in 4 children in Head Start programs and public elementary schools is obese; more than 4 in 10 children and 1 in 4 adults is overweight or obese; more than 1 in 4 adults is obese; and more than 6 in 10 adults are overweight or obese [read more]

At the farm

Upon arriving at the urban farm, CSD delegates were greeted and welcomed by BRM staff, which included three teenage farm interns who have worked at the farm for several years. The interns provided a brief history of the farm, explained what grows in the farm (e.g. collard greens, cucumbers, lettuce, green and red peppers, tomatoes and cabbage) and the ways in which the farm has impacted their community and their lives. One of the young people explained that the garden provides her with a place of solace and peace amidst a life that is often filled with negative distractions. Another young farmer explained how working at BRM has empowered him to make healthy nutritional decision and share his new-found knowledge with his family, while a third told our group that his farm experience has furthered his interest in biology and deepened his commitment to attend college. All three young farmers agreed that the farm had a positive impact on the community and has provided youth in the neighborhood an outlet for creative and constructive activity. One of the BRM organizers proudly told the CSD delegates “since beginning the farm project, not one of our male youth has been incarcerated and not one of our female youth has gotten pregnant”.

The foods produced from the farm are divided into two parts: food to be distributed to pantry recipients and goods to be sold at the local farmer’s market initiative, run by BRM. The Malcolm X. Blvd. Community Farmer’s Market, a small farm stand operated by the youth farmers, is open on Saturdays. In an attempt to make healthy food available to the neediest in the community, the prices of the food are low and food stamps are accepted. In addition to infusing the community with positive nutritional options, the Malcolm X. Blvd. Community Farmer’s Market also provides the young workers with valuable business skills and experience. The youth take pride in answering customers’ questions about the food that they have grown and have gained confidence from their involvement in this inter-generational community project.

This visit was truly inspiring. It was amazing to see a community that is facing numerous challenges, clearly identify a specific problem and then collectively mobilize to solve this problem, in an inclusive, empowering and effective manner. I really enjoyed speaking with one particular youth farmer and hearing how the garden has transformed her eating habits and her understanding of food systems; provided her with options that were not previously available; and enabled her to develop useful skills and self-confidence. Visiting BRM and the other urban farms on this tour exposed me to the concepts of “food (in)justice”—a pervasive yet hidden issue in so many communities and one that I was completely unaware of. I’m excited to learn more about these topics and to join a community farming initiative in my neighborhood.

[1] UFCW Local 1500’s Building Blocks Project Research from the Dept. of Agriculture and Markets Food Retail list.