ALBANY, N.Y. — Organizations in Central New York, the Mohawk Valley, and the Southern Tier were among 51 groups awarded a total of $2.5 million in state funding through the third round of the Urban Farms and Community Gardens Grant program.
The initiative is designed to support community growing spaces and recognize their impact on local food resiliency and food security for New Yorkers, the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets announced Thursday.
Funding for the program was included in the two most recent state budgets.
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Grants were awarded to 51 urban farms and community gardens across the state for projects that focus on food production, food safety, and food distribution while also creating a lasting impact on local food resiliency. Awards will help the organizations managing these spaces to expand gardens, build structures, purchase equipment, and establish educational programs.
“The Urban Farms and Community Gardens program continues to grow year over year, demonstrating the significance of these growing spaces that are integral to a strong, reliable food supply,” Richard Ball, commissioner of the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, said in the announcement. “These projects span across the entirety of our state, helping to meet the needs of our communities, which is more important now than ever before. I congratulate all the awardees and applaud their vision for expanded growing spaces and enhanced educational programming, helping to directly connect our communities to agriculture.”
New York is home to more than 3,000 registered or permitted urban and community gardens.
These programs build on several initiatives that support New York’s efforts to strengthen and ensure a more resilient system, increase access to food for all New Yorkers, and provide new markets for farmers, including Nourish New York, Farm-to-School Programs, and the Farmers’ Market Nutrition programs.
Funding awards
The award recipients include the following.
Central New York
- Cornell Cooperative Extension: Madison – $50,000
- Hopeprint, Inc. – $40,915
Mohawk Valley
- Cornell Cooperative Extension: Herkimer – $50,000
- Cornell Cooperative Extension: Oneida – $49,887
Southern Tier
- Cornell Cooperative Extension: Broome – $50,000
- Cornell Cooperative Extension: Steuben – $49,929
- Unadilla Community Farm Education Center – $50,000
- Volunteers Improving Neighborhood Environments – $50,000
- Whitney Point School District – $40,544
