Q&A
Incorporating urban agriculture in NYC public parks
1:02:07
·
4 min
Council Member Bottcher and Qiana Mickie discuss the potential for incorporating urban agriculture in New York City public parks and the collaboration between MOUA and the Parks Department.
- MOUA is a new office working to establish relationships with Parks Department and Green Thumb
- There's potential for innovative use of park inventory for urban agriculture
- MOUA is exploring various models of urban agriculture beyond traditional community gardens, including aquaponics, hydroponics, and food forests
Erik D. Bottcher
1:02:07
When we redesign parks, which every so often we have the opportunity to do a visioning session Mhmm.
1:02:15
With the community, it's not often, discussed, the idea of having, like, urban agriculture in a New York City public park.
1:02:27
Are there models for that New York City public parks that have urban agriculture, community gardens?
1:02:36
And do you work with the park parks department with respect?
1:02:41
And and when new parks are being designed, are you, at the table to kinda advocate for having, like, gardens, like, vegetable gardens and such included in these new designs?
Qiana Mickie
1:03:01
That's a great question.
1:03:03
Being a new office, I would say we haven't historically been unstable only because we're new.
1:03:09
But this is a conversation, that we continue to look forward to engaging.
1:03:15
We have a great relationship with Parks as well as their community garden, department, green thumb.
1:03:22
So for us, we see is working in tandem on how to support, green spaces in New York City.
1:03:29
We're also, again, as an office of Urban Agriculture, thinking about how we can protect and foster existing green spaces, protect and foster growing green spaces.
1:03:39
But are there underutilized potential in other spaces for urban agriculture?
1:03:43
We think so, and we'll continue to work with, agency partners as well as community to move that forward.
1:03:50
But I think the short answer is not yet, but I think we have initiatives and avenues that make that partnership, probably work, well in the in the future and continue to do so.
Erik D. Bottcher
1:04:00
I think there's a lot of potential in New York City public parks.
1:04:05
We've got a good amount of urban agriculture and community gardens.
1:04:11
We don't have a lot of community gardens in our district.
1:04:14
In fact, we have very few.
1:04:16
Yes.
1:04:16
But we do have public parks, and I can envision urban agriculture happening more in our New York City public parks.
1:04:27
Yes.
Qiana Mickie
1:04:28
Yes.
1:04:29
I we're open to continuing to explore with parks.
1:04:32
Any ways that you wanna activate, innovative, use in their, inventory.
1:04:38
I think what you're bringing up too, which is important is not every district has current green space, but what we as an officer in urban agriculture envision is that there are multiple models in the breadth of urban agriculture that can support climate resiliency, food production, community engagement, education, and wellness.
1:04:59
So it it can look like what's currently in our inventory.
1:05:03
But, again, this is why we look around and look up, and we listen to community partners to really understand what is needed in community that can bring in the models and support those models so they can actually be sustainable long term, but also community engaged.
1:05:19
I, you know, I community is really important, but the breadth of urban agriculture also includes, again, emerging businesses and existing businesses.
1:05:28
So even if there's districts that don't have existing growing green spaces, there I'm sure there's ways that we can, be innovative in looking at underutilized, parcels of land.
1:05:39
They don't have to be perfect.
1:05:41
They just need to be suitable for certain urban agriculture work.
1:05:44
But also, there's different models that are able to be done.
1:05:48
So one of the things that we also look at are are there new models beyond community gardens, that can continue to expand in our city to really increase urban agriculture, aquaponics, hydroponics, food forest.
1:06:04
Like, these are some of the things.
1:06:05
And, again, taking time to build that criterion so it makes it easier to move that work forward and be, relevant to the district needs and community needs in that area.
