An urban farm in Manhattan provides access to crops that are not easily accessible (ORE Architecture RIVERPARK FARM, 2020).  

Harboring almost 8.5 million people, New York City is the largest and most populated city in the United States. With a huge population also comes restrictions on access to food and some may argue that those food-insecure residents have brought it upon themselves and should work to afford fresh produce. There are 1.2 million people in NYC who are food insecure which is approximately 15% of the entire NYC population and of this population, the Bronx, one of the 5 boroughs of NYC, has the most low-income communities and has the greatest number of residents who are food insecure (New York City Council, 2023). As seen in Figure 1, poverty is prevalent in mostly the south Bronx but the majority of the borough suffers from poverty to a certain extent. However, this food insecurity issue can be addressed through urban farming which is the cultivation of crops in urban areas through gardens made using hydroponic towers, aeroponic towers, community gardens, rooftop gardens, or any area that can be utilized to grow crops. East New York Farms is an organization that addresses food justice in their communities by promoting local sustainable agriculture through the help of youths and adults (United Community Centers, 2019). Governor Hochul’s clean energy and environment protection plan must consider issuing funds to local agricultural sites in the city to help increase the cultivation of produce in areas where fresh produce is limited and by investing in East New York Farms, the organization will help to advance and develop the local agricultural sites whilst also distributing the crops harvested to residential areas that need more access to healthier and nutritious food whilst also reducing food insecurity throughout the city. 

East New York Farms has addressed food justice through its community gardens, urban farms, farmer’s markets, and youth internships. Community gardens and urban farms established by the East New York Farms have produced over 70 varieties of crops which are distributed to communities that are food insecure, such as the Bronx (Urban Farm – United Community Centers, 2023). To help run and maintain all these farms, the organization has youth internships, youth volunteers, and adult volunteers, which is a great opportunity for the young to be exposed to farming techniques and help society through the skills they obtain. They also have farmer’s markets to allow local farmers to sell their crops and provide people access to affordable fresh produce whilst building a local economy. If Governor Hochul were to invest in this organization, more food-insecure communities would have access to produce that would provide them with proper nutrition and maintain their health. Proper nutrition requires a person to have 2-4 cups of fresh produce every day to meet the daily nutrient requirements but with limited access and resources to obtain fresh produce, many residential communities suffer to fulfill their diet requirements which can be met through organizations such as East New York Farms with the help of funding from the Governor (U.S Department of Agriculture, 2020). The investment would also help to educate the youth on the sustainability of food whilst creating a larger economy that provides affordable food.

Food insecurity is a growing sustainability issue in NYC, but many may argue that those who are deprived of food and fresh produce should seek jobs to afford such necessities. However, communities that tend to be food insecure tend to also be low-income areas due to the limited access to jobs, education, resources, and opportunities. Additionally, the environments in which most low-income communities are located are in poor conditions for people to reside in and such conditions cause residents to suffer from many health issues that limit their abilities to work. Furthermore, low-income communities lack resources, resulting in economic challenges for them, causing higher rates of unemployment and poverty (Renahy et al., 2018). A lack of education provided in those areas also causes many to be unemployed as they are limited from pursuing many job markets due to the lack of their education. Overall, the lack of accessibility to resources in low-income communities leads to food insecurities being present and can’t be addressed without the help of the government in funding organizations that can help improve the conditions within low-income communities.  

New York City’s overbearing population results in the need for numerous food sources to provide for its huge population. However, not all residents of NYC are able to afford food or lack access to food due to limited resources. The sustainability issue of food insecurity can be addressed through East New York Farms, an organization that addresses food injustice in communities in NYC whilst also improving the local economy. The resources and support that the organization provides are crucial in low-income communities in meeting their dietary requirements. Governor Hochul can help to decrease the sustainability issue of food by addressing funds towards East New York Farms to improve the health of those in low-income communities. Low-income households are restricted to many activities from their lack of resources causing many to be unemployed and suffer from poverty but this is not the case for all low-income communities because of the help of organizations such as East New York Farms. By investing funds into organizations such as East New York Farms, food insecurity can be addressed throughout New York City.  

References 

Althaus Ottman, M. M., Maantay, J. A., Grady, K., Cardoso, N., & da Fonte, N. N. (2010). Community Gardens: An Exploration of Urban Agriculture in the Bronx, New York City. Cities and the Environment, 3(1), 20. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3160645/ 

New York City Council. (2023). Emergency Food in NYC. Data Team. https://council.nyc.gov/data/emergency-food-in-nyc/#:~:text=Food%20Insecurity 

ORE Architecture RIVERPARK FARM. (2020). ORE. https://ore-design.com/project/riverpark-farm/ 

Poverty in the Bronx | Visual.ly. (n.d.). Visual.ly. Retrieved November 1, 2023, from https://visual.ly/community/Infographics/geography/poverty-bronx 

Renahy, E., Mitchell, C., Molnar, A., Muntaner, C., Ng, E., Ali, F., & O’Campo, P. (2018). Connections between unemployment insurance, poverty and health: a systematic review. European Journal of Public Health, 28(2), 269–275. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckx235 

U.S Department of Agriculture. (2020). Vegetables | MyPlate. Www.myplate.gov. https://www.myplate.gov/eat-healthy/vegetables 

United Community Centers. (2019, October 11). East New York Farms! – United Community Centers. Ucceny.org. https://ucceny.org/enyf/ 

Urban Farm – United Community Centers. (2023). Urban Community Centers. https://ucceny.org/urban-farm/