Interview with Kwesi Joseph, Urban Gardens Specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Harvest New York
One of my long-term goals is to get rock dust supplied to community gardens in NYC. To me, it is more important for soil and plant health than compost.
By Anna Speck
Hunter College New York City Food Policy Center
April 24, 2024
Excerpt:
NYC needs more active green spaces. Community gardens provide several benefits to all members of society. NYC can also make gardening a mandatory part of the school curriculum from kindergarten to 12th grade. This will teach the children, the most vulnerable in society, the importance of eating vegetables and how to grow them. Children will also learn which foods to avoid.
Gardening is science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) with an outdoor component. I taught a simplified version of the periodic table of elements to third graders (eight year olds) by first using gardening and composting. Every school needs a dedicated gardening teacher. A regular teacher with the additional burden of running a gardening program will quickly burn out and quit.
Community gardens also need dedicated staff. Being a gardener in NYC is almost as exclusive as being a White House intern in Washington D.C. Some of the gardeners I’ve known were being supported by their parents or were using public services to make ends meet. Most garden jobs are low-paying and seasonal. Gardeners do more than grow hyper-local, nutrient-dense vegetables, and they need to be paid a living wage.
Mardelle Shepley, a professor, and Executive Director of the Cornell Institute for Healthy Futures (CHIF) told me about the research she has done indicating that having more green spaces in urban environments will decrease crime (Shepley et. al., 2019 and Sadatsafavi et. al., 2022). Residents of large cities are often isolated and lonely, especially seniors. Gardens are a communal oasis in a concrete desert, and their benefits far outweigh their costs or carbon footprint. They are preventative and restorative.
Read the complete article here.
Source: https://cityfarmer.info/interview-with-kwesi-joseph-urban-gardens-specialist-with-cornell-cooperative-extensions-harvest-new-york/
Anyone can join.
Anyone can contribute.
Anyone can become informed about their world.
"United We Stand" Click Here To Create Your Personal Citizen Journalist Account Today, Be Sure To Invite Your Friends.
Before It’s News® is a community of individuals who report on what’s going on around them, from all around the world. Anyone can join. Anyone can contribute. Anyone can become informed about their world. "United We Stand" Click Here To Create Your Personal Citizen Journalist Account Today, Be Sure To Invite Your Friends.
LION'S MANE PRODUCT
Try Our Lion’s Mane WHOLE MIND Nootropic Blend 60 Capsules
Mushrooms are having a moment. One fabulous fungus in particular, lion’s mane, may help improve memory, depression and anxiety symptoms. They are also an excellent source of nutrients that show promise as a therapy for dementia, and other neurodegenerative diseases. If you’re living with anxiety or depression, you may be curious about all the therapy options out there — including the natural ones.Our Lion’s Mane WHOLE MIND Nootropic Blend has been formulated to utilize the potency of Lion’s mane but also include the benefits of four other Highly Beneficial Mushrooms. Synergistically, they work together to Build your health through improving cognitive function and immunity regardless of your age. Our Nootropic not only improves your Cognitive Function and Activates your Immune System, but it benefits growth of Essential Gut Flora, further enhancing your Vitality.
Our Formula includes: Lion’s Mane Mushrooms which Increase Brain Power through nerve growth, lessen anxiety, reduce depression, and improve concentration. Its an excellent adaptogen, promotes sleep and improves immunity. Shiitake Mushrooms which Fight cancer cells and infectious disease, boost the immune system, promotes brain function, and serves as a source of B vitamins. Maitake Mushrooms which regulate blood sugar levels of diabetics, reduce hypertension and boosts the immune system. Reishi Mushrooms which Fight inflammation, liver disease, fatigue, tumor growth and cancer. They Improve skin disorders and soothes digestive problems, stomach ulcers and leaky gut syndrome. Chaga Mushrooms which have anti-aging effects, boost immune function, improve stamina and athletic performance, even act as a natural aphrodisiac, fighting diabetes and improving liver function. Try Our Lion’s Mane WHOLE MIND Nootropic Blend 60 Capsules Today. Be 100% Satisfied or Receive a Full Money Back Guarantee. Order Yours Today by Following This Link.
| Online: | |
| Visits: | 1,669,268,346 |
| Stories: | 8,330,554 |
Whistler Blowers, Insiders
