Seeds of Change endorses locally grown crops in New York City

By Lecia Bushak and Rachel McDevitt

New York City may not seem to be an ideal location to harvest organic crops, but a new initiative from Seeds of Change is trying to change that common perception.

Seeds of Change’s “Sowing Millions” project distributed 100 million seeds within 48 hours last week to large-scale farmers and community gardeners across the United States. With help from the New York Restoration Project, 2.5 million of those seeds went to gardeners in the city.

But it’s not all just about seeds — “Sowing Millions” is a project that is part of a much larger wave of promoting environmentalism in an urban setting. It’s about beekeeping and honey, too; about building “loop houses,” or simplified versions of greenhouses; and about finding as many ways as possible to push a grassroots environmental movement in an industrial city and nation. The project is made up of groups of young people as well as volunteers who jump-start the urban farms that are gaining popularity across the city.

Jimmy Owens, the corporate development manager of the New York Restoration Project, worked closely with Seeds of Change on the project and said the 2.5 million seeds reached 700 gardens and 10,000 community gardeners in the five boroughs.

If you think that it’s impossible to find gardens, just look up: Communities are using rooftops to sow these seeds. Fahima Islam, a CAS environmental studies major, said the initiative to encourage local farming is both healthy and efficient for New Yorkers.

“Rooftops, empty lots and abandoned warehouses all go to waste otherwise,” she said.
The Eagle Street Rooftop Farm, for example, is a 6,000-square-foot vegetable garden in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, with a beautiful view of the Manhattan skyline. Brooklyn Grange, another rooftop garden in Long Island City, sells vegetables to local businesses to provide jobs and improve the overall quality of life in the city.

“It is easier than you would think to grow your own food in New York,” Owens said. He added that even in the low-income neighborhoods that NYRP serves, “the people would gladly spend the extra money for these gardens.”

According to their website, Seeds of Change was founded in 1989 to make organic seeds available to farmers and gardeners. Today, the company supplies a large number of certified organic foods in order to merge the values of taste and sustainability.

Alli Shepherd, an RA in NYU’s Green House, said day-to-day behaviors, like recycling and participating in community gardening, can make a difference.

“If I had space here, I would definitely grow my own food,” she said.

Many people in the greater New York community have also embraced organic farming and community gardening.

“Space is maxed out,” Owens said, noting that some of NYRP’s most popular gardens host communities of 60 to 70 people while some even have waiting lists. “People are excited about growing their own food. They want to do it themselves.”

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