Project Grant 202438E13

URBAN AGRICULTURE, WHICH IS DEFINED AS THE GROWING OF FOOD IN AND AROUND CITIES AND ITS INTEGRATION INTO THE SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND ECOLOGICAL FABRIC OF AN URBAN SYSTEM, IS INCREASINGLY RECOGNIZED AS AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF A SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEM. WHETHER THROUGH COMMUNITY FARMS OR, WITH THE ADVENT OF HYDROPONIC TECHNOLOGY, INDOOR COMMERCIAL FARMING SPACE, URBAN AGRICULTURE PRESENTS THE OPPORTUNITY TO GROW LOCAL, EASILY-TRANSPORTABLE FRESH PRODUCE THAT FACILITATES ACCESS TO HEALTHY FOOD, IMPROVES FOOD SECURITY, AND CREATES SKILLED JOBS FOR LOCAL RESIDENTS.BUILDING A WORKFORCE SKILLED IN THE NUANCES OF URBAN AGRICULTURE - BOTH SOIL-BASED AND HYDROPONIC - IS CRUCIAL TO GROWING THIS SECTOR. NEW YORK CITY IS A PRIME LOCATION FOR EXPANDING THE FIELD: THE CITY ALREADY HAS A STRONG NETWORK, PRACTICE, AND CULTURE OF URBAN FARMING, FROM THE MORE THAN 700 COMMUNITY GARDENS THROUGHOUT FIVE BOROUGHS, MANY OF WHICH BEGAN ON ABANDONED BUILDING LOTS AND NOW ARE PROTECTED, TO A RAPIDLY-GROWING COMMERCIAL FARMING INDUSTRY. IT ALSO HAS ROBUST COMMUNITY-BASED MOVEMENTS AND LOCAL POLICY INITIATIVES CENTERED AROUND FOOD SECURITY, LOCAL FOOD ACCESS, AND THEIR INTERSECTION WITH ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE. NEEDED, HOWEVER, ARE OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS TO FORMALLY TRAIN AND BUILD THE SKILLS THEY NEED TO PARTICIPATE EQUITABLY IN THIS GROWING SECTOR.NY SUN WORKS, A NON-PROFIT LEADER IN K-12 SUSTAINABLE URBAN AGRICULTURE EDUCATION IN NYC, IS WELL-POSITIONED TO ADDRESS THIS NEED. WE BUILD HYDROPONIC CLASSROOMS IN CITY SCHOOLS, PAIRING THEM WITH OUR GRADE-SPECIFIC CURRICULUM AND COMPREHENSIVE TEACHER TRAINING, TO TEACH SCIENCE, SUSTAINABILITY, AND CLIMATE EDUCATION THROUGH HYDROPONIC FARMING. STUDENTS MASTER SEED-TO-HARVEST HYDROPONIC FARMING AND GROW HUNDREDS OF POUNDS OF FRESH PRODUCE TO SHARE WITH THEIR FAMILIES WHILE ALSO DIVING INTO CORE SCIENCE CONTENT, SUSTAINABILITY AND CLIMATE EDUCATION. WE CURRENTLY SERVE OVER 300 SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT THE CITY, REACHING 120,000 STUDENTS IN THE 2023-24 SCHOOL YEAR, WITH A FOCUS ON SUPPORTING STUDENTS IN HISTORICALLY UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES. IN 2022, WE ALSO LAUNCHED THE CITY'S FIRST CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT AGRICULTURE (CEA) WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, WHICH WAS DEVELOPED WITH FUNDING FROM USDA-UAIP AND FOLLOWS CORNELL UNIVERSITY'S INDOOR FARMING PROGRAM FRAMEWORK. THE PROGRAM EQUIPS HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH TECHNICAL SKILLS, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE KNOWLEDGE, AND WORKFORCE READINESS TRAINING WHILE BUILDING PATHWAYS FOR HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES TO PARTICIPATE EQUITABLY ON NEW YORK'S GREEN ECONOMY.WITH THE SPECA GRANT, NY SUN WORKS WILL BE ABLE TO: 1) UPGRADE OUR CURRENT URBAN AGRICULTURE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT CURRICULUM TO MEET COMMUNITY COLLEGE-LEVEL COURSE STANDARDS; 2) SECURE CPL (CREDIT FOR PRIOR LEARNING) APPROVAL AT THE ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE LEVEL FROM LAGUARDIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE, A TWO-YEAR COLLEGE WITHIN THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NY SYSTEM; 3) TRAIN 12 CEA SCIENCE TEACHERS IN THE RE,VISED CURRICULUM; 4) REACH AN ESTIMATED 650+ STUDENTS OVER THE COURSE OF THE GRANT CYCLE WITH EXPANDED CEA TRAINING; AND 5) ASSESS STUDENT OUTCOMES, INCLUDING STUDENT POST-SECONDARY MATRICULATION RATES, TO EVALUATE THE IMPACT OF THE CPL OPPORTUNITY ON STUDENT DECISIONS TO PURSUE POST-SECONDARY OPPORTUNITIES AT LAGUARDIA.THESE INITIATIVES WILL SUPPORT SEVERAL KEY AGRICULTURE POLICY PRIORITIES BY ENHANCING URBAN AGRICULTURE EDUCATION CURRICULA; DECREASING BARRIERS TO AND ENCOURAGING INTEREST IN POST-SECONDARY STUDY IN THE SUSTAINABLE URBAN AGRICULTURE FIELD, PARTICULARLY FOR STUDENTS FROM LOW-INCOME HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED POPULATIONS; AND, BY FACILITATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR POST-SECONDARY STUDY, GROWING THE PIPELINE OF SKILLED WORKERS ENTERING THE FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL SECTORS. THESE INITIATIVES FURTHER ADDRESS THE OVERARCHING NEED TO SUPPORT EQUITABLE ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION FOR STUDENTS FROM HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES. INTRODUCING STUDENTS TO POSTSECONDARY PROGRAMS AND PROVIDING CREDIT FOR PRIOR LEARNING WILL DECREASE BARRIERS TO ENTRY AND SUPPORT ONGOING STUDENT SUCCESS (FOR EXAMPLE, STUDIES SHOW THAT CREDIT FOR PRIOR LEARNING INCREASES STUDENT PERSISTENCE AND IMPROVES STUDENT OUTCOMES IN POSTSECONDARY PROGRAMS). IN ADDITION, THE TRAINING WE WILL PROVIDE TO HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS IN CURRICULUM IMPLEMENTATION AND HYDROPONIC FARMING SKILLS WILL BUILD TEACHERS' SKILLS AND EXPAND THE PROGRAM'S REACH TO SUCCESSIVE COHORTS OF STUDENTS EVEN AFTER THE GRANT CYCLE CONCLUDES, SUPPORTING URBAN AGRICULTURE EDUCATION OVER THE LONG-TERM. ?