08/16/2023
๐พ๐๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ค๐๐ง๐๐ข
Citywide students recently completed Irrigation and moved into Crop Management. During Irrigation, they enjoyed touring Morning Glory Garden in The Bronx and Brooklyn’s Red Hook Farms, better understanding the watering methods of the unique growing spaces and why. Students also worked together, familiarizing themselves with the parts of a drip irrigation system. See the photo below, captured by a current student, of a hands-on practice build at Red Hook Farms. We thank our co-facilitators, Jane and Maya, as well as our sites and guides, Cayla, Aazam, and Brendan.
Making their way through Crop Management, students are exploring the best crops for NYC’s climate, reviewing typical crop plant families and their specific needs, and beginning to imagine their own creative crop plans. We’re excited to welcome first-time FSNYC facilitators, Grace and Ciara of Randall’s Island Park Alliance Urban Farm. Stay tuned to hear how their crop plans turn out!
๐๐๐๐๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ง ๐๐ค๐ง ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ช๐ฃ๐ฃ๐๐ก๐จ
Are you interested in high tunnels? Join our 5-week course to explore high tunnels, their versatile uses, values, and styles. Learn all about site selection, construction, and maintenance, tailored to fit growing spaces in NYC. Learn more and register here!
๐๐๐ฌ ๐ฝ๐ค๐๐ง๐ ๐ค๐ ๐ฟ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฉ๐ค๐ง๐จ
Over 100 community members voted for our newly elected board of directors. Joining our current board are new members: Ravi Ramaswamy, Shanett Norris, Bea Mora, Carena Miles, Yu Li, and Dr. Rosa Yolanda Pineda. Thanks for voting!
๐๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ
โข ๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ท๐ฆ ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด ๐๐ณ๐ข๐ช๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ
RiseBoro is offering an 8-week Co-op Academy Intensive to introduce participants to the basic building blocks of forming and launching a worker-owned food-based business. This program prioritizes Black folks in and from Brooklyn. Pairs and groups of people with shared business ideas are strongly encouraged to apply.
Weekly sessions will run from Wednesday, October 4th through Wednesday, November 22nd, 6:30 pm-8:30 pm. Some sessions will be held in-person in Brooklyn; the rest will be online. Dinner will be provided at in-person sessions. If you are interested, apply here. To learn more, join their info session September 6th.
โข ๐๐ช๐ญ๐ช๐ฑ๐ช๐ฏ๐น ๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ด ๐๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ช๐ค๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ – ๐๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐๐ถ๐ต๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฏ ๐๐ณ๐ข๐ฏ๐ด๐ช๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด
Taught by FSNYC alum, Kai Delgado-Pfeifer, this offering is a 5-week virtual community circle with five in-person gatherings and four self-paced Google classroom lessons. With ancestral cooking and elemental meditations as the primary rituals, participants will deepen their relationships with their bodies and living earth wisdom. Participants will learn to integrate these healing medicines and rekindle right relationship with mother earth. Register here by August 27th!
โข ๐๐ถ๐ญ๐ช๐ฏ๐ข๐ณ๐บ ๐๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฃ๐ด ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐๐ณ๐ข๐ฏ๐ด ๐๐ฒ๐ถ๐ช๐ต๐บ ๐๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด๐ถ๐ญ๐ต๐ข๐ฏ๐ต๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ณ๐ช๐ด ๐๐ป๐ข๐จ๐ถ๐ช๐ณ๐ณ๐ฆ
Join the virtual Culinary Herbs offering from Trans Equity Consultants and FSNYC facilitator and friend, Cris Izaguirre on Thursday, August 17th 5:30pm – 7:00pm. RSVP by emailing events@transequityconsutling.com
โข ๐๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฌ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฑ
Movement Workshops cover better body mechanics and movement patterns in order to decrease injury, increase efficiency and extend career longevity. Time will be spent practicing four basic movement patterns: hinge, squat, push and pull, along with kneeling patterns, rotation, and core stability. Each participant will leave with tips to improve their overall movement health + wellness. Movement Workshops are FREE of cost to farmers and farmworkers in New York. Register here!
โข ๐๐ณ๐ฃ๐ข๐ฏ ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ต๐บ ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ช๐ต๐ต๐ฆ๐ฆ
The NYC Urban County Committee (UCOC) works through the Farm Service Agency (FSA) to represent and connect with NYC growers. The UCOC is working to build an effective, transparent, inclusive Farm Service Agency presence in New York City. If youโre a farmer, community gardener, or beekeeper in New York City, make sure your voice is heard! Fill out this online form to register to vote in UCOC elections, and get monthly updates about USDA programs in NYC. In 2023 the UCOC is only electing representatives for Manhattan and Staten Island. If you farm and/or live in either of those boroughs, please complete the online form by September 14th to receive your physical ballot. The Bronx and Queens elections will be in 2024, and elections for Brooklyn representatives will be in 2025. Please reach out to ana.villamil@usda.gov with any questions.
Why get involved with the USDA in NYC now? The 2018 Farm Bill allocated funds for urban agriculture. Read about how these funds are threatened in the upcoming farm bill and why this is a critical window. Washington, DC, actively solicits our input. Letโs make the most of it!
๐ญ๐ผ๐ผ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ข๐๐
Black Farmers United NYS, Equity Advocates and Food For The Spirit are advocating for a just and sustainable Farm Bill. The 2023 Farm Bill should be a Racial Justice Bill that addresses historic and ongoing racial disparities within our food system by ensuring equity and justice are at the forefront of this legislation.
Over 300 New Yorkers, including BIPOC farmers, growers, producers, practitioners, and advocates, shaped their key recommendations for the 2023 Farm Bill.
The main recommendations are to:
โข Support Land Stewardship & Farmer Training: Invest in programs that promote sustainable land stewardship practices and provide comprehensive training opportunities for farmers.
โข Invest in Community Food Infrastructure: Strengthen our local and regional food systems by providing funding for community-based food infrastructure and regional planning projects.
โข Improve Accessibility of USDA Programs: Streamline grant application processes and expand technical assistance to make USDA programs more accessible to small farmers and BIPOC-led organizations.
โข Increase Access to Food Assistance: Enhance and remove barriers to food assistance programs to ensure that everyone has access to nutritious food, regardless of their socio-economic status.
Review their Policy Platform and sign on in support here!
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โข NYC Parks- Forester
โข Rise and Root – Field Staff
โข Van Cortlandt Park Alliance – Educator
โข Blooming Urban Design Scapes – Urban Landscaping Gardener
โข Central Park Conservancy – Assistant Curator of Gardens
โข NYC SDG – Associate Research Scholar
๐๐ง๐ค๐ฌ ๐๐๐พ:
โข Farmstand Program Assistant
โข Farmstand Field Manager
โข Greenmarket Regional Managers
โข Union Square Greenmarket Programming Assistant
โข Seasonal Greenmarket Site Lead
โข Sales and Partnerships Manager
โข Inspections and Compliance Program Coordinator
๐๐ช๐๐๐ฃ๐จ ๐ฝ๐ค๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ก ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ฃ:
โข Sustainable Agriculture Coordinator
โข Professional Learning Coordinator
โข Assistant Garden Maintainer
