NYC Parks GreenThumb Program Snags Ag Promotion Award
“We feed and clothe people and preserve the land. Without farmers promoting ag, it falls flat.”
By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
Lancaster Farming
Jan 31, 2024
Excerpt:
New York City hardly seems like the location for a recipient of an agricultural award.
Nonetheless, NYC Parks GreenThumb received the Ag Promotion Award at the 2024 New York State Agricultural Society Forum.
Established in 1978, GreenThumb was initially developed as a means of helping people grow food on abandoned public and private property — transforming vacant lots into gardens that produce healthful produce and fresh air.
GreenThumb’s teams include Community Engagement, which works with gardeners; Operations, the hands-on team that supports community gardeners; and Planning and Program, which plans the organization’s next steps and future programs. They also administer the GreenThumb Youth Leadership Council, which oversees communications and work to develop grant money.
Barbara Hanselman, a chairwoman on the awards committee, lauded the program for helping the public better understand the source of their food.
“Society is becoming less knowledgeable about what ag does,” she said. “We feed and clothe people and preserve the land. Without farmers promoting ag, it falls flat.”
