More fresh fruits and vegetables are likely on the way for all New Yorkers.
The state’s agriculture department is pledging $2.5 million for the third round of NY’s Urban Farms and Community Gardens Grant Program. It’s designed to provide residents with food security.
A total of 51 urban farms and community gardens focused on food production, safety, distribution and food resiliency are benefiting from the program’s latest round of funding.
“The Urban Farms and Community Gardens program continues to grow year over year, demonstrating the significance of these growing spaces that are integral to a strong, reliable food supply,” said agriculture commissioner Richard Ball.
“I congratulate all the awardees and applaud their vision for expanded growing spaces and enhanced educational programming, helping to directly connect our communities to agriculture,” he said.
The money is meant to support awardees expand their gardens, build structures, buy equipment and support or establish educational programs around the communities.
Here in Central New York, the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Madison County won $50,000. The Cornell Cooperative Extension operates in every county in the state and works to promote ecological stability. Hopeprint, Inc. earned over $40,000. The organization that was started in Syracuse and runs through the Northside’s “primary refugee resettlement neighborhood,” according to their website.
In surrounding communities like the Finger Lakes, four companies received over $189,000. And in the Mohawk Valley, two local branches of the Cornell Cooperative Extension received almost $100,000 in funding.
Funding is up from Rounds 1 and 2 of the program. In the first group, 35 organizations split $800,000. In Round 2, 22 organizations received $1 million through the grant program.
For a full list of awardees in the Upstate region, see the table below:
Central New York
- Cornell Cooperative Extension: Madison - $50,000
- Hopeprint, Inc. - $40,915
Finger Lakes
- Blueprint Geneva Inc - $50,000
- Equicenter Inc - $39,140
- Foodlink Inc - $50,000
- Taproot Collective - $50,000
Mohawk Valley
- Cornell Cooperative Extension: Herkimer - $50,000
- Cornell Cooperative Extension: Oneida - $49,887
Capital Region
- Albany City School District - $50,000
- Capital Roots Inc - $49,994
- Pitney Meadows Community Farm Inc - $50,000
- Radix Ecological Sustainability Center - $50,000
- Schenectady School District - $48,260
- Town of Bethlehem - $50,000
Western New York
- Buffalo Vineyard Inc - $50,000
- D’Youville College - $49,998
- Fare Share Western New York - $36,600
- Grassroots Gardens of Western New York - $50,000
- Kenmore – Town of Tonawanda School - $50,000
- Pelion Outdoor Classroom - $49,960
- Providence Farm Collective Corp - $50,000
- Salamanca City School District - $50,000
