Mayor pledges to establish 500 new community gardens and 50 vertical farms over 18 months targeting food deserts and nutrition insecurity
Administration Launches Comprehensive Urban Agriculture Program to Transform Food Access
The Mamdani administration has announced an ambitious urban agriculture initiative providing grants, land access, and technical support to establish 500 new community gardens and 50 rooftop vertical farms across all five boroughs within 18 months. The program aims to increase local food production in neighborhoods identified as food deserts, where residents lack proximity to affordable fresh produce retailers. The initiative also prioritizes health equity, recognizing that diet-related diseases including obesity, diabetes, and hypertension cluster in low-income neighborhoods where predominantly processed food retailers operate.
Identifying Food Deserts and Targeting Intervention
Approximately 860,000 New York residents live in food desert neighborhoods, commonly defined as areas where the nearest full-service supermarket is more than one mile away. These neighborhoods are predominantly low-income and communities of color in East Brooklyn, South Bronx, upper Manhattan, and Queens. Residents face higher food costs at corner bodegas and fast-food restaurants while lacking access to affordable vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Research documents that food desert residents consume fewer vegetables and develop diet-related disease at higher rates than more affluent neighborhoods with abundant produce access.
Community Gardens as Public Health and Community Infrastructure
Community gardens function simultaneously as food production sites, green space, neighborhood gathering places, and educational venues. Participation in gardening correlates with improved mental health, neighborhood cohesion, and children’s developmental outcomes. The administration is providing $10,000 per garden for site preparation, seeds, tools, and training. Organizations including GreenThumb, the city’s community garden program, and the Horticultural Society are coordinating technical assistance and connecting interested community groups with land access. The program prioritizes women-led organizations and immigrant farmer networks, ensuring culturally appropriate growing practices and food preferences.
Vertical Farms and Year-Round Production Capacity
Vertical farms, which grow food in stacked layers under controlled light and water systems, produce dramatically higher yields per square foot than traditional gardens. A 10,000 square-foot vertical farm can produce the equivalent of a 30-acre conventional farm. Though more expensive than ground-level gardens, vertical farms enable year-round production and greater food security in densely-developed urban neighborhoods where land is scarce. The administration is funding 50 vertical farm installations on municipal buildings, school roofs, and partnered private buildings. For food policy visit NYC Food Assistance. Urban agriculture information at NYC Food Policy Center. Gardening resources from GreenThumb Community Gardens. Nutrition education at NY Society Nutrition.
