PROFILE: Added Value Urban Farm in NYC

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010


by Inhabitat

This new video from Inhabitat profiles Added Value, a non-profit urban farm in Brooklyn that promotes the sustainable development of the Red Hook community by inviting teenagers from the neighborhood to participate in urban farming projects. Added Value is focused on teaching life skills that extend beyond urban farming.

Since 2001, they have been bringing the local youth together and encouraging them to positively engage with their community. Together they have helped revitalize local parks, transformed vacant lands into vibrant urban farms, improved access to healthy, safe and affordable food, and begun to grow an economy that supports the needs of their community.

Check out the video. It’s a great profile of a thriving urban farm that has provided a safe haven as well as a purpose for South Brooklyn teens. It’s exciting to see these kids making a difference in their community!
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Vertical Farms: Coming To Your Town

Monday, February 8th, 2010

Warning: this is an advertisement, but an interesting one. It’s an example of another method of sustainable local farming. There has been a lot of talk about vertical farming in the city, but mostly in terms of large scale production. Home Town Farms is promoting an individual produce shop that actually grows their food on-site using a vertical farm at the back of the store. As with most vertical farms, the produce would be grown hydroponically, which reduces water usage. HTF states that consumers would be able to buy vegetables and berries that have been picked fresh on a daily basis. It will be interesting to see if this concept gains momentum and competitors begin to surface. The demand for locally grown organic produce is rapidly gaining momentum, so companies like Home Town Farms will likely be popping up in towns across the country, all competing for our dollars. It’s the perfect time for consumers to demand affordable healthy food.