2024 Urban Agriculture Changemaker: Qiana Mickie

Establishing an office from the ground up was a challenge, but being able to be create and launch new initiatives such as Re-Imagining Farm to School and agrivoltaics was a win.

Written by NYC Food Policy Editor
NY City Food Policy Center
June 12, 2024

Excerpt:

You can’t have food without agriculture, a fact Qiana Mickie knows very well. Qiana was tapped to run the inaugural office of the Mayor’s Office of Urban Agriculture almost two years ago. A dedicated public servant, she is also a frequent panelists locally and keynoter nationally. She has served as an expert for our Food Policy for Breakfast series on the topic of Urban Ag, as she understands the importance in finding alignment and establishing common ground throughout our state, regionally, across the US, and even internationally, a connector of dots between upstate farmers and downstate markets. Qiana is our Changemaker of Urban Agriculture.

Under Qiana’s leadership, the office aims to advance urban agriculture and equity to actively address climate, health, and food disparities in the city’s natural and built environment. By collaborating with interagency leaders as well as the breadth of urban agriculture stakeholders, Qiana has developed innovative initiatives to foster healthy, culturally relevant food production, educational trainings, and economic development opportunities for farmers and producers in the city. In the first year of her tenure, Qiana has developed initiatives such as reimagining Farm to School in NYC, building an M/WBE pipeline for small and socially disadvantaged businesses, and bolstering land security for community gardeners. She recently released NYC’s first urban agriculture report and action plan.

Qiana is also the Founding Principal of QJM Multiprise and the former Executive Director of Just Food. For over 12 years, Qiana has also worked on local, state, federal, and international policy on issues such as food sovereignty, land stewardship, and health. Qiana has a B.S. in Marketing from Hampton University and received her Food Hub Management certification from the University of Vermont. She serves on the USDA Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Federal Advisory Committee, International Council of Urgency, and the Coordination Committee of the Civil Society Mechanism (CSM) for the United Nations.

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