462 Halsey Community Farm is a community farm in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City. It is located on Halsey Street between Lewis Avenue and Marcus Garvey Boulevard.
History
462 Halsey Community Farm was founded in 2012 in a lot that had been empty since the 1970s by Shatia Jackson and Kristen Bonardi Rapp. Jackson and Bonardi Rapp saw a sign posted to the lot's fence by the nonprofit 596 Acres and wanted to bring agriculture and organic food to the neighborhood. [1] [2] 596 Acres helped organizers navigate city agencies to gain access to the space making 462 Halsey the first lot secured through the nonprofit's advocacy. [1] [3] [4]
The farm was initially organized to contain large public plots with additional member plots and a year-round compost drop-off. [1] In 2014, the community farm was reorganized into a communal growing model to increase membership and better use the small space. Garden members created and installed a rain catchment system featuring a 1,550-gallon tank and five 50-gallon tanks which water the garden through a solar-powered drip-irrigation system. [5]
462 Halsey also correlates the hands-on work in the farm with food equity and racial justice. In 2013, the community farm began working with GrowNYC to distribute its Fresh Food Box for low cost. [5] In 2015, the group recognized the importance of the Black Lives Matter movement by posting a sign in support on their fence. [2] In 2019, the farm organized a protest focusing on the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids and organized 30 other farms and gardens to join. [6] During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the farm began working with food pantries to bring healthy food to those food insecure in the community. [2]
In 2015, the land was flagged as a potential site for affordable housing as a part of Mayor de Blasio’s 10-year plan to build 80,000 units of affordable housing. [7] In 2016, the site was transferred to the Department of Parks and Recreation to remain a community greenspace. [8]
References
- ^ a b c "Growing on Vacant Brooklyn Lots, Reclaiming Public Space". MetroFocus. 2012-05-16. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
- ^ a b c Kavanaugh, Marialexa (2020-06-25). "Behind Closed Gates, Brooklyn Community Gardens Continue to Plant Seeds of Change". Bedford + Bowery. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
- ^ Weber, Christopher (2013-10-15). "Pretty vacants: Urban communities fill empty lots with gardens, skate parks, and creative possibility". Grist. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
- ^ Bryce, Emma (2012-10-17). "After a Year of Adoptions, Orphaned Lots Bloom". Green Blog. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
- ^ a b Quale, Brittany (2017-06-01). "Creating a Sustainable Community Garden". Parks and Recreation Magazine. National Recreation and Park Association. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
- ^ Cohen, Li Yakira (2019-07-17). "Immigration policy protests are being held at more than a dozen farms and gardens". am New York. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
- ^ Deep, Brooklyn (2015-07-15). "Bed-Stuy is Focus of Concerns Over Fate of Community Gardens". City Limits. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
- ^ Rosengren, Cole (2016-01-04). "Brooklyn Community Gardeners React to De Blasio Admin. Deal". City Limits. Retrieved 2021-05-05.