Food and Things

East Side, West Side, half of New York seems to be growing lettuce and carrots in backyard or rooftop mini-farms. The Municipal Arts Society will be taking a look at the future of urban farming in New York in an upcoming Jane Jacob Forum Nov. 3.  The preservation group will address the question: can New York—there’s not a lot of acreage out there—feed itself?

Can’t wait until Nov. 3?  Tune into the podcast about urban farming.

Urban farming may seem like a hipster invention, but it’s existed in New York for a long time. Did you know that the Ansonia on the Upper West Side boasted an animal farm

Temporary P.S. 1 urban farm in New York via http://popupcity.net

on its rooftop in the early 1900s?

There’s also a related exhibition Re-Imagining Cities: Urban Design After the Age of Oil, on display at MAS through Friday, December 4. Visit MAS.org/exhibitions for more details.

Here are the details:

What: The Jane Jacobs Forum will explore the question: Can New York eventually grow enough food within its boundaries to become self-sufficient?

Who: Moderator Neal Pierce of the Washington Post, will be joined by greenhouse director at Gotham Greens Jennifer Nelkin, microbiology Professor Dickson Despommier of Columbia University, landscape designer Dan Albert of Weber Thompson architects in Seattle, Colin Cathcart of Kiss + Cathcart architects in Brooklyn, environmental studies Professor Nevin Cohen of The New School, and Ian Marvy executive director of Added Value in Red Hook, Brooklyn.

When: November 3, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.

Where: The John E. Reeves Great Hall at F.I.T., W. 28th St.

How Much? Tickets are $15, $10 MAS members, and free to college and high-school students with appropriate I.D. Reservations are required. Purchase tickets online or call Katie Skelly on 212-935-2075.

Related posts:

1. Farming in New York City: A Panel Discussion at NYU
2. SLOW U: The Urban Chicken and the City Bee
3. Hanukkah Food Event: Italian Jewish Culinary Traditions Discussed at Upper East Side New York Synagogue

October 21st, 2009 | Tags: Municipal Arts Society, New York, urban farming | Category: Events, Manhattan, New York City, agriculture, farming, upper east side, upper west side |  Print This Post | Subscribe to comments | Leave a comment | Trackback URL