Five Borough Farm II

Five Borough Farm is a Design Trust project aimed at building capacity and increasing availability of land for urban agriculture in NYC. Five Borough Farm: Phase I  found a groundswell of demand for urban agriculture citywide, as New Yorkers have reclaimed every kind of marginal and leftover space to grow food. However, several critical issues must be addressed in order for urban agriculture to achieve its full potential in New York City, including access to city-owned land, the availability of funding and essential materials such as soil and compost, and the economic development potential of the city’s farms and gardens. As part of a team of fellows, we’ve been working on Phase II, taking a closer look how to advance these issues and highlighting how urban agriculture can contribute to the city’s ecological, social and economic infrastructure. The final project publication, Five Borough Farm II: Growing the Benefits of Urban Agriculture in New York City, proposes ways of better understanding and demonstrating the benefits of urban agriculture, recommends strategies for farmers and gardeners, support organizations, and government agencies to maximize these benefits, and explores the potential for expanding the types and scale of urban agriculture in the city.