10. Brooklyn Grange
When it comes to urban farming, one of the most eminent of these farms is Brooklyn Grange. With their flagship location in Long Island City Queens, and their second farm in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Brooklyn Grange boasts the largest rooftop soil farm in the world with over 50,000 pounds of organically-cultivated produce a year.
Brooklyn Grange started in May of 2010 in a warehouse building on Northern Boulevard. The mission of the team is to “grow food on the rooftops and unused spaces of New York City,” thus offering fresh, organically grown produce to New Yorkers, local restaurants, and CSA members, while maintaining a “fiscally sustainable model for urban agriculture.”
They have also expanded beyond vegetables – Brooklyn Grange now keeps egg-laying hens. They are involved in non-profit, educational activities; 17,000 New York City youths visit each season for workshops and tours—thus getting exposure to farming methods, gaining appreciation for the process of farming, and learning about sustainable urban agriculture.
Brooklyn Grange has weekly open houses at their flagship location on Northern Boulevard where visitors can buy produce, get their hands dirty doing some farm-work, or just stroll along the paths and admire this remarkable little oasis of agriculture, nestled among the arid, concrete jungle of the city.
With the planet’s diminishing natural resources, urban farming could become paramount in decreasing our food footprint. Our city’s dependence on the import of foods has been underscored in the aftermath of catastrophes such as 9/11 and Hurricane Sandy. Alternative urban farming is a fascinating, up and coming field that not only provides New Yorker’s with fresh, organic produce, but also bolsters our independence and food security in the wake of unforeseen circumstances.