How Gentrification is Threatening one of Brooklyn's Last Urban Farms

This farm sits on the edge of Bushwick and Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhoods and has been a staple for locals since 2011, providing community members with free organic produce and eggs from livestock. People are able to take what they need on a first come, first served basis. Further inward, there are grow beds overflowing with vegetation, ripe with tomatoes, figs, herbs and spices. In the heart of the farm is an aquaponics tank stocked with tilapia that naturally filter the water, hydrating the plants and nourishing them with a zero-carbon footprint.

"The young people here learn about carpentry skills. They learn about the plants that we're growing— what the medicinal herbs are good for, how to identify ripe fruits and vegetables that are ready for harvest," he said.

According to Reis, the lot had been a squatter village where displaced people took refuge in handmade homes until there was a fire that forced them out. When the BCF volunteers arrived, the lot was nothing more than a dumping ground, filled with discarded furniture, rubble, hypodermic needles, clothing and all kinds of trash. They planted flower beds and started clearing out the debris for months without any notice from the owner of the lot.

"We continued like that for several months and we didn't have permission from the owner. We didn't even know who the owner was at that point," Reis explained.

Watch some more video on VICE Impact:

After cleaning up the lot, the owner contacted the volunteers and they convinced him and that it would be beneficial to him and the community to allow the space to be used as an organic farm. Now, it's home to a brood of hens and a single rooster that were brought there in 2013. There's also a flock of ducks —hatched in an incubator by one of the volunteers— and one majestic turkey that swaggers around the poultry pen like the queen of the farm.

Reis told me that we were standing on the second iteration of the farm. The current farm location is in the Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhood, but the first Bushwick City Farm was on the Bushwick side of the Bushwick-"BedStuy" border. It's retained the name despite the new address. The original location was built in 2008 and lasted for five years until the owner of that lot forced them to vacate so he could develop the land into a high rise. You can actually see the construction of the new building in the distance from their current site— an ominous reminder that history could repeat itself as the community braces for a fight.

In July, the landlord of the new location unexpectedly terminated the lease for the farm, leaving the volunteers with nowhere to take their animals, fruit trees and equipment. They were devastated by the lease termination after being in the location since 2011 under a verbal agreement. According to Reis, the landlord had generously provided them with a dollar-per-month lease for the nearly 10,000 square-foot space, which was signed in 2014. He also said that the volunteers rarely had to pay out-of-pocket, mainly relying on grants from organizations like the Citizens Committee for New York City and fundraisers at the farm.

Following the news about the lease, the volunteers immediately took action to protect the farm by asking neighbors and local residents to sign a petition to support keeping the farm in tact and preparing for more drastic measures.

Pointing to the ladder at the center of the farm, Reis told me their plan in a worst-case scenario.

"We also have a red flag that can be hoisted up to the top of the ladder to notify neighbors that there's some sort of emergency in the space and that they should physically get down to the farm and show their support," he explained.

As a last resort to protect the farm, someone could climb the ladder, which would make entering the space with heavy machinery incredibly difficult without seriously injuring the person on top of it. It's planted upright and anchored by cables and wires for someone to climb in case of an emergency. There's also a pulley system attached to the ladder that could be used to get food or supplies to the person above, meaning someone could be up there for a long time.

Right now, the online petition has more than 1,500 signatures and a separate handwritten petition has racked up about 600 names as well, which shows there's a huge backing from the community. Reis and the other volunteers have now turned to local policymakers to make sure that the farm remains a fixture in the community. It's been three months since the notice from landlord, and so far the farm is still standing. (The landlord did not immediately respond to VICE Impact's request for comment.)

"The most important thing that people can do is contact the representatives [Council Member] Robert E. Cornegy Jr., [Brooklyn Borough President] Eric Adams, [and Public Advocate] Letitia James — all of our elected officials to let them know about the situation, and to request that the city purchase this lot and put it under the parks department," Reis said.

It's hard to determine the value of the farmland, which is on two adjacent lots. Reis said that he and others have looked up comparable spaces and the price of the land may be as much as $3 million— which Reis tells me is a huge spike from $80,000 that the lot went for in 2004. The Fiscal 2018 Preliminary Budget for New York City's Parks and Recreation Department is $487.5 million, including city and non-city funds.

A spokesperson for Council Member Robert E. Cornegy Jr.'s office said:

New York City Public Advocate Letitia James told VICE Impact that she praised the farm for being an "integral part of this community, providing these healthy food options at no cost."

James continued: "We have been in contact with the farm organizers, my team has visited the farm, and we helped them to obtain legal counsel at the outset of this situation."

Despite supporting the efforts of the farm volunteers, James acknowledged that the landowner was within his rights to terminate their contract. "If the farm is unable to stay in its current location, I am hopeful that as elected officials we can help to find it a new home so it continues providing for community members," she said.

The fight to save the farm is part of a greater issue of environmental justice, which calls out environmental inequality— such as air pollution or climate gentrification— based on race, nationality, or income. BCF is just one example of the importance of urban farming around the country as various cities are adapting their rooftops, backyards and empty lots to meet the needs of historically underserved populations in industrialized spaces.

Bushwick, and the area that the farm services, is home to public housing projects under the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA).

According to a 2015 community health profile conducted by the city of New York, the demographics show that Bushwick is a neighborhood primarily made up of people of color— the majority Hispanic, then followed by black. The data also points to the neighborhood being a food desert, or an area with limited access to grocery stores. In the district, there are only 104 square feet of supermarket space per 100 people, which is among the lowest rates in the city.

Yvonne Redd, a longtime Bushwick resident and a patron of BCF, said that this farm is what's keeping the neighborhood alive.

"Everybody in these projects knows about this because these are our essential needs of nutrition," Redd told me. "And it will keep us alive here."

Sign this petition if you agree that Bushwick City Farm should be protected and remain a resource for locals in need of fresh produce and a space to participate in community activities safely. For those who live in the area, contact Council Member Robert E. Cornegy Jr. and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and tell them to support putting the farm under the protection of NYC Parks and Recreation Department. If you're interested in starting your own urban farm then get started today.