Expanding Urban Agriculture In New York City
“New York City is quickly becoming the capital of urban agriculture in the US. We have unmatched commercial, community, not-for-profit, and academic resources.”
Our Time Press
April 9, 2021
Excerpt:
During his tenure in office, Adams has advocated for promoting urban agriculture in Brooklyn and throughout the five boroughs. In 2017, Borough President Adams partnered with former Council Member Rafael L. Espinal Jr. to introduce legislation calling for the New York City Department of City Planning (DCP) to create a comprehensive urban agriculture plan for the city. He also partnered with Council Member Espinal to invest $2 million in capital funding toward creating Brooklyn’s first urban agriculture incubator, to help entrepreneurs with a dedicated space for their businesses.
To date, Adams has allocated $21 million to our “Growing Brooklyn’s Future” initiative, which gives K-12 students throughout Brooklyn hands-on learning opportunities to see how their food is grown, while producing 175 pounds of vegetables per classroom per school year to improve their diets with fresh produce. Borough President Adams is also actively working with the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) to establish a large-scale greenhouse, the first-of-its-kind on public housing property in New York City, and has allocated $16.8 million to the project.
“New York City is quickly becoming the capital of urban agriculture in the US. We have unmatched commercial, community, not-for-profit, and academic resources. And yet, strong and creative public-private partnerships are needed if urban agriculture is to realize its potential,” said NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business Project Director Invest NYC SDG Marianna Koval.
