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US (NY): Brooklyn neighborhood to combat diabetes with aquaponics

Nonprofit Northeast Brooklyn Housing Development Corporation is looking to launch an Urban Aqua Farm this fall, using aquaponics to breed freshwater fish and grow vegetables for the borough’s residents.

“Bed-Stuy, where the farm is located, has got some of the highest rates of diabetes, obesity and food insecurity,” said Lisa Boyd, NEBHDCo’s chief operating officer.

“Part of the goal is not only to source our pantry but also provide a model for producing sustainable, fresh, healthy food in an urban setting and, through workshops and training, to educate the community, provide living-wage jobs and show the possibility of entrepreneurial opportunities.”

“We’re starting in Bed-Stuy but we would like to be all over,” said Susan Beatini, project consultant for NEBHDCo.

Harvests from the Urban Aqua Farms would supplement the food provided from the organization’s food pantry, which feeds 19,000 people a year, organizers said.

In addition to fish, the aquaponics system will grow basil, cilantro, mint, collard greens, kale and strawberries.

Read more at DNAinfo New York
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