Announcement
Blossoming plant at New Roots Community Farm
Photo: IRC in NY. New Roots
WHO ARE WE?
For over 12 years, the IRC NY has run a community urban agriculture farming program called New Roots in the South Bronx, as well as a garden in Woodside and Jackson Heights in Queens for over 5 years. At New Roots, we provide community green spaces, access to healthy and culturally appropriate food, and training and education opportunities to over 300 community members, including newcomers and those who have called these neighborhoods home for generations.
In 2024, New Roots distributed 12,500 pounds of food to community members throughout the city. We created an impact far greater than food security by putting our community at the center of our work. This summer, our offerings include:
- Hosting weekly Farmstand markets, offering SNAP-eligible CSA produce, and continuing our free food distribution work
- Teaching Food justice and nutrition classes, as well as sustainable agriculture education and training opportunities
- Providing cooking demonstrations
- Hosting events for the community, designed by the community
- Expanding our reach beyond the Bronx and Queens by partnering with local farmers and community organizations to improve urban food systems across NYC and serve community members who were previously served by markets that have recently closed due to funding cuts
The shortage of markets in the South Bronx continues to pose barriers to accessing culturally relevant, nutritious, and affordable produce and value-added products. The health dangers include high rates of malnutrition and health conditions. Markets that are available are located more than 20 blocks from the Bronx site, which poses a barrier for senior and low-income individuals. These barriers are worsened by limited language resources available to guide access to food markets, and public benefits such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Living with these concerns may lead to malnutrition and negative impacts on mental health. This is being addressed through our critical education classes right at the farm, as well as improved food systems that provide access to healthy food. With inflation driving up supermarket prices for fruits and vegetables, there is a clear demand for nutritious and fresh food that our farm is meeting.
Community members can access our weekly Farmstand & CSA bundles, as well as free food distribution. Our Farmstand offers fresh produce for purchase, harvested with the care and support of our stewards and community members. Our farmstand accepts pay-to-scale, Health Bucks, Farmer's Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) & SNAP. We also offer value products that are unique to what we harvest.
We recently interviewed one of our community members, Arnold, who also volunteers at the Bronx Farm. His favorite activities include taking care of the tomato plants, maintaining the irrigation system, and hosting people at the markets. This summer, we plan to share more about Arnold and other members at New Roots.
HELP US SAVE NEW ROOTS
The IRC in NY is launching an emergency campaign to Save Our Farm. On behalf of community members and program leaders at the IRC in NY New Roots, we would like to thank you all for all the years supporting our farm & garden. We hope that with your support, we can continue to cultivate community and expand access to food security and green spaces to all. We hope to see many of you at New Roots this summer. Please consider donating here to help us increase our funding to protect our work at our Garden and Farm.
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Article written by Development Manager, Malin Evertsz Mendez