Student-Run NYC Rooftop Garden Begins to Sprout Amidst Spring Weather

The vegetables harvested from the garden are donated to a farmers market run by teenagers at the Amalgamated house, which is a part of a housing co-op started by the Amalgamated Clothing Workers Union years ago.

By Kiersten Thompson & Adrianne Hutto
The Quadrangle
Apr 21, 2021

Excerpt:

“The rooftop has taught me how vital urban agriculture can be,” Kadish wrote in an email. “During the COVID pandemic, food insecurity around the world has risen incredibly, and New York City is no exception. Projects like our rooftop garden have the ability to affect food insecurity in a big way. We can use urban agriculture to create food security, but it needs to be done intentionally. In New York City, community gardens created in lower-income areas with the main goal of fostering food security often end up being the first step to gentrification and displacement. This is because landlords start to raise rent prices as a result of the garden, which is highly sought after in the city. To stop this damaging practice that only exacerbates the problem, we need to be taking concrete steps towards rent control to help mitigate food in- security at the root.”

Currently, the garden is currently growing everything from tomatoes, beans, and zucchini, to thyme, oregano, and basil. However, is it not just environmental studies majors who are encouraged to partic- ipate in the cultivation of this project.

“We try to get somebody from each of the different schools, if we get one from every school that’s the best but we don’t always,” Westphal said.

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