Based out of Brooklyn, New York, City Growers has a vision for the future, and it is green. They envision more green roofs, community gardens, urban farms, equal access to healthy food, cleaner air, and innovative urban spaces. To turn their vision into a reality, City Growers empowers young people through experiential learning, offering programs that provide kids with a new perspective on their urban environment, allowing them to recognize the potential of their city and themselves as future leaders.

Emma Taliaferro, a Program Associate with City Growers, tells Food Tank the two reasons that separate City Growers from other experiential food education and environmental programs. “The first is the farm. The Brooklyn Grange is the biggest soil-based rooftop farm in the world, and the experience that we offer is completely unique. The second is access. We are conscious of the fact that many resources, including healthy food, are not allocated equally. We offer tiered-pricing and even completely free workshops, to increase that access for everyone regardless of their socioeconomic background.”

While many students, parents, and teachers directly seek out City Growers, Taliaferro explains to Food Tank how important face-to-face engagement is in order to spark interest in everyone, even the students who may not gravitate towards an opportunity like this. Taliaferro emphasizes the power of building relationships with schools so that teachers are aware of the variety of educational programs and internship opportunities and can pass along experiences through word of mouth.

Read the full article about exploring sustainable agriculture by Caroline Fox at Food Tank.