Mayor’s Office of Urban Agriculture Celebrates Another Successful Year of Farm to School Programming for New York City Students – Urban Ag News

Funding Secured for Another Two Years of This Initiative, Which Increases Student Connections to Local Fresh Food and Urban Farmers in Food-Insecure Communities

NEW YORK – The Mayor’s Office of Urban Agriculture (MOUA) today announced the conclusion of another successful school year for its Reimagining Farm to School NYC program. During the 2024-2025 school year, farmers visited schools to deliver educational instruction and observe what students are growing in their classrooms and/or school gardens, and students visited farms across the city. Guided by urban farmers, they learned about culturally relevant crops grown and harvested in the city and enjoyed a seasonal, nutritious, veggie-based snack made by a Just Food Community Chef. Some of them even got to take home fresh produce including lettuce, radishes and garlic, purchased through NYC School Food Enhancing Accessibility, Training, & Support, the city’s first farmer/producer business procurement training.

Students from Eagle Academy for Young Men of Harlem observe a cooking demonstration by Just Food chefs

“The Reimagining Farm to School NYC initiative is very important because it provides a critical opportunity for students to learn directly about agriculture education, where their food is grown, and that food is growing right here in New York City,” said Mayor’s Office of Urban Agriculture Executive Director Qiana Mickie. “It also allows community gardeners to share their knowledge and informs residents that we have active green space that all New Yorkers can and should have access to, while also supporting small farm businesses from community gardeners in our community.”

“Our city has historically been cut off from its food sources, and nutrition more an abstract idea than immediate skill for our city’s youth. No more,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Jeff Roth. “By putting their hands in the dirt, seeing how a radish grows differently than lettuce, and learning to care for what they consume, city kids will be better prepared to live healthy, mindful, active lives. Thank you to the Urban Agriculture team for another great year.”

“As we prepare the next generation of New Yorkers to lead their communities, the Reimagining Farm to School NYC program helps our students learn about urban farming and gardening as they engage with our local farms and green spaces,” said Public Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos. “I am grateful to our city, federal, and external partners who make this program possible.”

“From neighborhood gardens to rooftop farming, urban agriculture is an essential piece of New York’s diverse agricultural landscape,” said State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball. “New York’s Farm-to-School Program incorporates fresh, locally grown foods into school menus while increasing students’ understanding of where – and who – their meals come from. I’ve been fortunate to see firsthand just how meaningful this programming is to these students. I’m grateful to our partners at the Mayor’s Office of Urban Agriculture for all the great work they do in connecting the dots and supporting the community growing organizations that fill an essential gap in our supply chain, and congratulate them on another successful year of this innovative program.”

The schools in the second cohort of Reimagining Farm to School NYC were P.S. 199X The Shakespeare School in the Bronx, Eagle Academy for Young Men II and P.S. 67 Charles A. Dorsey School, both in Brooklyn, Eagle Academy for Young Men of Harlem in Manhattan, P.S. 147 The Ronald McNair School in Queens, and P.S. 59 The Harbor View School and P.S. 721R The Richard H. Hungerford School, both on Staten Island.

Students, parents, and teachers from these schools visited Green Valley Community Farm in Brooklyn, New Roots Community Farm in the Bronx and Queens, Hill Street Community Garden on Staten Island, and Gracie Mansion. As part of the program, P.S. 59 The Harbor View School also got a refurbishment of its existing school garden with technical assistance provided by project partner GrowNYC, an agriculture-based nonprofit.

The funds for the initial two-year pilot were allocated by the United States Department of Agriculture Patrick Leahy and New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Farm to School grant programs. Demonstrating the city’s commitment, MOUA has secured $200,000 in funding for Fiscal Years 26 and 27, ensuring the program will continue over the next two school years with expanded full garden builds and refurbishments, and the ability to reach more schools by creating additional hands-on agricultural learning experiences for students such as planting and harvesting fruits, vegetables, and herbs in the school gardens and farms. MOUA will also be able to scale regional procurement in schools in the coming school year.

Students from Eagle Academy for Young Men II tour Green Valley Community Farm

“Growing up in Brooklyn, I thought vegetables came from the bodega, and not from the earth,” said Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental Justice Executive Director Elijah Hutchinson. “And that’s a problem, because we can’t solve the climate crisis and build healthier communities if kids don’t know where their food comes from and how that food affects their body, mind, and community. Reimagining Farm to School NYC allows us to use the food inequity that our under-served communities know well and use it as a tool to grow the next generation of climate and agriculture leaders.” 

“Visiting Green Valley Farm with my 6th grade scholars exceeded my expectations,” said Sean McFadden, science department chair, Eagle Academy for Young Men II. “The hospitality and warmth were palpable from start to finish. From this experience, we all left feeling more informed about where to find locally grown foods, persuaded on why eating locally grown, whole foods is so important, and empowered to incorporate more locally grown, whole foods into our diets. This visit was a highlight in my school year and my scholars certainly feel the same. We are looking forward to scheduling another