NEW YORK — During the pandemic, GrowNYC’s retail market saw demand for locally grown grains and legumes more than triple. With the upcoming expansion of its wholesale market, the organization is well positioned to help NY growers access wholesale buyers. It’s a significant marketplace with NYC schools purchasing $1 million annually on beans alone. That’s why the New York Farm Viability Institute board of directors was pleased to fund a proposal that will help connect legume and small grain growers to the New York City marketplace in its recent competitive grant round. The project, led by Nick Rolf of GrowNYC, will help a dozen farm businesses, many of which aggregate product from neighboring farms connect to this market. In future years, the resulting supply chain infrastructure will be accessible to farms across the State. The best part? Working these crops into their rotations can provide farms a strong option to build soil health.
The New York Farm Viability Institute runs a competitive grant program that seeks to create and share knowledge. This project is one of 17 that were funded in our most recent grant round. To learn more about the organization and other work it has supported, please visit www.nyfvi.org.
–New York Farm Viability Institute