Unconventional Agriculture: Regenerative Pathways for Food, Growing and Community Action

Commodities

Practices

• Crop Production: cover crops, crop improvement and selection, cropping systems, crop rotation, drought tolerance, irrigation, season extension, seed saving
• Education and Training: demonstration, farmer to farmer, networking, workshop
• Pest Management: integrated pest management
• Soil Management: composting
• Sustainable Communities: food sovereignty, leadership development, partnerships, public participation, quality of life, sustainability measures, values-based supply chains

The Unconventional Agriculture: Regenerative Pathways for Food, Growing and Community Action project aims to offer a dynamic programmatic framework and infrastructure that will engage 200 low-income land stewards and food advocates, through intensive regenerative agriculture training, leadership development, mentorship, networking, and community building opportunities. Project activities consist of a combination of year-long educational programming grounded in food; short-term intensive courses to deepen hard-skills; on-farm immersions at agriculture sites; and technical assistance, community gatherings and aftercare support network to reinforce training and connections.

the objectives of this project include: (1) to increase the skills and knowledge of low-income land stewards to grow food sustainably and ethically; (2) to build deep awareness about the benefits of supporting local agriculture systems that promote sustainable agriculture and environmental stewardship; and (3) to build leadership capacity and clear pathways for growth , increasing the financial and social sustainability of farmers and supporting the co-creation of food systems.

The NYC Urban Agriculture: Regenerative Pathways for Food, Growing and Community Action project goals seek to improve food sovereignty, promote regenerative practices, and strengthen community development and economic empowerment for beginning farmers.

Project objectives:

1. Increase the skills and knowledge of beginning farmers to grow food sustainably, ethically, and equitably.
2. Build leadership capacity and clear pathways for growth, access, and participation of beginning farmers in NYC's ecosystem-while increasing their financial and social sustainability.
3. Increase access to fresh, culturally relevant, and locally grown food for urban residents.
4. Foster community engagement, collaboration, and connections between urban residents and local ecosystem stakeholders.

To support achieving these objectives, the project incorporates four key activities designed to remove challenges that  beginning farmers encounter in traditional farm-training spaces. Supported with mentorship, and resources, participants will gain the knowledge, skills, and networks needed to develop their political education, build community with others, and hone their skills in both regenerative agriculture and farming principles to steward the building of a healthy and thriving ecosystem in NYC.

Activities:

Comprehensive Educational Programming

Supporting objectives #1 and #2, FSNYC will create safe-supportive learning spaces through three educational programs. The Food Justice Foundations (FJF), offers a 7-module curriculum focused on regenerative agriculture and land sovereignty utilizing a multi-dimensional approach. The Introduction to Land Stewardship (I2LS), offers urban agriculture technical-training courses focused on soil health, water conservation and irrigation, propagation, and crop management methods. The Public Workshops and Intensives, relate to regenerative agriculture within urban agriculture. Participants will be accepted on a first-come-first-served basis.

Deliverables:

#1: 4 public workshops and 2 intensives offered yearly to 60 participants (July-Oct 2025, 2026 & 2027)

#2: 20-25 participants complete FJF, participating in 350 hours throughout 6 months (Apr-Oct 2026 & 2027)

#3: 15-20 participants complete 72 hours of I2LS technical training courses (Apr-July 2026 & 2027)

Results:

• Curriculum development finalized for FJF & I2LS - (Jul 2025-Feb 2026)
• Evaluation program iterated and implemented for programming - (Nov 2025 & 2026)
• 4 Facilitator trainings/teach-ins conducted, increasing curriculum cohesion, connectivity, and access popular education - (Oct '25, Feb & Oct '26 & '27)
• 75%+ participants complete courses and gain new-or-improved understanding of technical skills, practices, and techniques in regenerative urban agriculture; food systems, food justice; and, gain confidence to begin applying critical thinking to address gaps/challenges to food sovereignty through systems-change advocacy - (Nov 2026 & 2027)

On-Farm Immersions

Practicing regenerative farming skills with mentors on farms reinforces and deepens skills gained in courses and workshops. Supporting objective #2, the Food and Land Immersion experience offers hands-on training in regenerative agricultural practices while building mentorship and peer relationships-essential for farmers to build, strengthen and maintain local farm and food projects that provide healthy food and economic opportunities. Participants are required to complete the FJF and I2LS to register for an immersion. Upon completion participants receive an Urban Agriculture Certificate.

Deliverable #1: 2-4 participants experience 96+ hours of paid land-based practice - (May-Oct 2027)

Results:

• Conduct assessment of FSNYC's infrastructure and partner site, findings shared to staff and incorporated into workplan for 2027 launch. (Jul-Feb 2025-2027)
• Participants apply skills into practice while increasing their understanding of, gaining confidence in specialty food and land stewardship. (July-Oct 2027)
• 2-4 farmers gain resources and support for land stewardship tasks, while mentoring beginning farmers. (July-Oct 2027)
• Participants inspired to support existing food-based projects or start food/land projects of their own; begin to incorporate new or refined regenerative agricultural techniques and knowledge.

Technical Assistance

• FSNYC is increasing access to capital for 10 NYC urban farmers through micro-grant programming in collaboration with USDA's FSA program, where peer farmers directly review and select applicants. We plan to offer enhanced technical assistance to advance pathways for growth and access and long-term viability, which supports objectives #2 and #3.

Deliverable #1: 10 participants access 10+ hours of TA annually and receive accounting and tax support. (May-Dec 2026 and 2027)

Results:

• Part-Time Coordinator recruited and onboarded to lead the selection process and TA support for micro-grants recipients - (Jan-Dec 2025)
• 10 participants gain increased awareness of the USDA resources for farmers. (May-Dec 2025, 2026, 2027)

Community Gatherings and Support Networks

Supporting objective #4, FSNYC will incorporate opportunities for relationship and trust-building while encouraging learning, growth and connections. The Alumni Network Council (ANC) of FSNYC will serve as a structured alumni support system. ANC leaders are compensated and work collaboratively with staff, facilitators, and community in ideation and application of needs-based projects and community-organizing and calls-to-action. Additionally, we will offer 2-4 stakeholder gatherings to reinforce action-planning, coalition-building, and continuous learning for faculty, alumni, and farmers. We will promote community-care and inspire social sustainability among farmers prone to leaving the field and burnout.

Deliverables:

#1: 6 alumni join the ANC, leading 1400+ hours of project planning, leadership, organizing (2025-2027)

#2: 150+ farmers, partners, alumni participate in 2-4 annual gatherings/teach-ins to fortify support networks, promote community healing and resilience, and build community capacity to address inequities and advance food sovereignty (2025-2027)

Results:

• Increased access to pee-based teach-in's for facilitator, alumni, and partners - (Oct 2025-2027)
• 85% of graduating participants join the ANC - (Oct 2025-2027)
• 85% of participants gain an enhanced sense of community, connection to the land, and access to support networks - (Oct 2025-2027)

LONG-TERM IMPACT:

• Increased access to educational and leadership resources on urban farming for farmers in NYC.
• Increased number of action/projects within the NYC ecosystem.
• Increased community resiliency, support networks, and sense of safety for stakeholders.
• Strengthened leadership capacity of farmers to advocate for food justice and build sustainable food systems in NYC and NYS.
• Increased access to food sovereignty through environmental stewardship practices, resource conservation, and regenerative adaptive planting techniques.