As New York City faces the impacts and rapid spread of COVID-19, the city with one of the richest and most diverse food cultures in the United States now faces unprecedented challenges––closed restaurants, disrupted food supply chains, and overwhelmed grocery stores. The rise of the pandemic has called the resilience of our food system into question, shifting our focus to the importance of decentralized, regional food for feeding our populations and maintaining our health. A city that has historically relied on food supplies from other states and countries now faces a rise in demand for local products––spotlighting the urban farms that have always grown fresh produce for New Yorkers.
Today, urban farms around New York City are working relentlessly, keeping their supply chains flowing to provide fresh food and nutrition at a time when health has become our forefront priority. Agritecture spoke to five farms that have remained dynamic during this period of rapid change, adapting their businesses to this “new normal.” Read how Farm.One, Square Roots, We Are The New Farmers, Smallhold, and Brooklyn Grange are handling the situation.