The Battery Urban Farm — Attraction in New York

The Battery Urban Farm is an educational farm where New York City’s students, residents, and visitors experience sustainable farming, enjoy tasting organic fresh foods, and learn environmental stewardship. The farm was developed in 2011 by The Battery Conservancy in response to a request for a vegetable garden by eight students from neighboring Millennium High School. From those eight students, This park now engage over 5000 students from over 100 schools and community volunteers who annually grow thousands of pounds of vegetables, fruits, herbs, grains, and flowers.

When you think of local food in New York City you may picture food grown upstate in the Hudson Valley or in the tri-state area, but thousands of pounds of produce are produced each year right in NYC’s five boroughs. These urban farms and gardens are using a variety of hydroponics, aquaponics, green houses, rooftop farming, and regenerative agricultural practices to bring fresh produce to New Yorkers while also providing educational programming, workshops, and events for NYC residents...

The United States of America is blessed with a plethora of fertile farmland. Manhattan, even before the arrival Europeans, was noted as a special geographic place for meetings and trade by indigenous tribes. The Erie Canal started construction in 1817 and took 30 years to complete. But it cemented trade routes to the center of the US, made New York empire state, and New York City it's crown jewel. Manhattan is the most valuable real estate in the country. Every inch of space is coveted and the city's parks give much needed respite to the huge population confined on the island.

So why the city's park commission ever allowed this valuable space to be used for the purpose of organic farming is beyond me and probably most New Yorkers. Given that most of Battery Park's green area's are cordoned, off it's waste of space can be overlooked; the fact that this "organic garden" is a huge eye soar on the...

Living in NYC, it’s so hard to give my child the experience of planting and understanding where food comes from. I’ve often wondered how to teach him about things like planting seeds, pulling weeds, and digging for worms, especially since we don’t even have a balcony. That’s why discovering this small urban farm was such a gem. It’s open for kids to fully immerse themselves in the life of a farmer. Though it’s small, they get to plant seeds, water the plants, smell the herbs, and pick fruit. I found out about it through our local community website and was able to book an hour-long session for us. It was a great way to enjoy a ‘farm to table’ experience right here in the city. By the way, the cherry tomatoes were...