HomeResilient Gardens Symposium – NYC

Resilient Gardens Symposium – NYC

2024 Resilient Gardens Symposium Agenda

Saturday, August 10th, 2024

9AM – 4PM 

Barnard College

Barnard Hall, James Room (4th Floor)

3009 Broadway, New York, NY

Registration is now closed!

In a partnership between Harvest New York and New York State Seed to Supper, we are excited to announce that we will be hosting a one-day Resilient Gardens Symposium in New York City focused on culturally relevant gardening skills adapted to climate change for the unique resource needs of urban gardeners. The day’s focus will be on addressing barriers for beginning gardeners most affected by post-pandemic food insecurity, hearing from leaders on innovative ways to overcome these issues in cities and connecting resources between Cornell Cooperative Extension and leading community gardens. The Resilient Gardens Symposium event is scheduled for Saturday, August 10th, from 9:00 am – 4:00 PM at Barnard College, at Barnard Hall, 3009 Broadway, New York, NY 10027.  A thank you to our host location, Barnard College, for their partnership and for the Smith Lever Federal Capacity Funding that has made this event possible.

Morning

 

9:00       Registration

9:30       Keynote: DK Kinard

“Cultivating Resilience: Building Solidarity Through Community Connections & Collective Relationships”

GrowNYC Gardens At NYCHA & IRC New Roots-NY

DK Kinard is a multi-hyphenate Urban Agriculture professional and social justice advocate. A native New Yorker and multigenerational Washington Heights resident, DK is an experienced program facilitator, farm educator, culinary instructor, classically trained pastry chef and more. DK has spent many years devoted to the curation, organization & advocacy of city-wide social justice platforms. Known in both the private industry and nonprofit sectors for her cross-industry experience, resourcefulness, unwavering determination and drive for community change, DK is passionate about fostering programs and initiatives that provide culturally positive and inclusive representation for people that are oftentimes under-resourced, underserved, and misrepresented.

Focusing on food security, environmentalism, urban ag. education, green skills job training, and implementing garden spaces city-wide, DK is known as the “friendly neighborhood farmer” who teaches that when it comes to uplifting, building, and investing in community, “we don’t just grow food, we grow people, and when we grow people, we grow community.” DK Kinard is the co-founder of the GrowNYC Gardens At NYCHA program, a co-Chair of the USDA Farm Service Agency NYC Urban County Committee & FSA Manhattan Representative, and an International Rescue Committee (IRC) Food & Agriculture team member.

Photo:  DK Kinard

 

10:30    Breakout Sessions – Self-Selected  – NYC Community Garden Focused Speakers

  • Perl Egendorf, Assistant Professor, Pace University & Pamela Alvarez,  Outreach & Education Manager, Bronx Green Up & Community Horticulture, New York Botanical Garden – “Adventures in Composting – Stories and Science from the City”

 Composting is an adventure in transformation, and it’s been quite a rollercoaster ride recently in NYC. Join us for some stories, science, and hands-on demos to address questions like – What’s going on with compost from micro to macro scales? What data do we have on what works? And where do we go from here?

  • Corey Blant, Director of Urban Agriculture & Simon Skinner, Senior Director of Operations, New York Restoration Project – “Gardens For the City at the New York Restoration Project: The Evolution of an Infrastructure Improvement Program”

In 2012, NYRP started helping school gardens, community gardens, and urban farms by delivering materials (i.e. wood chips) and assisting in partner spaces when time and capacity allowed. After more than 10 years and 300 projects, that piecemeal approach has evolved into a citywide program that includes follow-up technical assistance support and more. Learn more about how we approach this work in 2024 and what we’re thinking about as we look to the next 10 years.

  • Chit Yee Ng, Share Shed NYC, Urban Design Forum Forefront Fellows and Audrey Jenkins, New York Botanical Garden  – “Growing & Strengthening Sharing Networks Amongst NYC Urban Growers”

In this session members of the Share Shed NYC project will talk about their work to create tools to help NYC urban growers better share and access resource, including their outreach process, how it could be replicated, progress on sharing tools (sharing app/website, annual sharing event, and regular sharing newsletter), and how NYC growers can plug into this network or get involved. 

  • Kwesi Joseph, Urban Garden Specialist, Harvest New York – “Mental Health and Healing in Community Gardening”

Join Kwesi Joseph, an expert in sustainable urban agriculture and environmental conservation, for an insightful talk on the connection between mental health and community gardening. This session will delve into how community gardens can serve as sanctuaries for mental well-being and catalysts for healing, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Discover the therapeutic benefits of gardening, explore the impact of trauma and its relation to mental health issues such as addiction and obesity, and learn practical steps to create safe and inclusive community garden spaces.

 

11:20    10 min break

11:30    Breakout Sessions – Self-Selected – NYS Cornell Cooperative Extension Horticulture Speakers

  • Mark Bridgen, Professor, Long Island Horticultural Research and Extension Center – “Plant Propagation for Community Gardens”

This presentation will begin by reviewing some of the fundamentals of plant propagation, and then continue with some easy ways to propagate plants for your home and garden.

  • Sam Anderson, Urban Agriculture Specialist, Harvest New York  – “Garden Pests in a Changing Climate”

How do shorter winters, hotter summers, and more extreme weather events impact the pests and diseases that show up on our plants? We’ll look at examples from urban farms and gardens – which may serve as warnings for gardeners in the rest of the state.

  • Jody L. Gangloff-Kaufmann, Senior Extension Associate, NYS Integrated Pest Management – “Protecting the Community Garden from Wildlife”

Not all pests in community gardens are found on your plants. This session will cover some non-agricultural nuisances attracted to farm and garden sites, that cause damage, concern, and potential health threats. We will discuss rodents, cats, birds, and a few insects harmful to people and what low-risk and low-cost strategies can be used to fend them off.

  • Makela Elvy, Community Garden Leadership Specialist, Harvest New York – “Integrating Cut Flowers into Community Gardens”

With beautiful domestic flower bouquets popping up at markets around the state, it isn’t any surprise that community gardeners want to grow the same varieties. We’ll cover variety selection, site needs, and timing of planting. We’ll also talk about the benefits of adding these varieties to the landscape for beneficial insects.

12:20    Wrap-up morning session and transition to lunch

12:30  Lunch and Discussion:  Makela Elvy, Community Garden Leadership Specialist with Harvest New York and Cornell Cooperative Extension, will lead the group in a feedback session on needs for a Community Garden Curriculum (in development) while eating lunch.

 

1:30 – 3:30 pm – Tours of Community Gardens:

  • Group A: Harlem Walking Tour (40 minutes of walking to and from sites):
    • Garden of Love: Tour Leader, Sade Boyewa El, 302-304 W 116th St, New York, NY
    • St. Nicholas Miracle Garden:  Tour Leader, Judi Desire, 330 St. Nicholas Ave, New York, NY
    • Suggested for Participants in Walking Tour:  
      • Please bring a community garden soil sample (usually we say people can bring up to 3 samples) for free metals screening at the St. Nicholas Miracle Garden!  This will be led by Assistant Professor, Perl Egendorf.
  • Group B: North Harlem and the Bronx (30 people – Chartered Bus Tour):
    • New Roots Community Farm:  Tour Leader, DK Kinard, 670 Ground Concourse, Bronx, NY
    • Requirements for All Attending New Roots Community Farm:
      • Guests 16yrs & under must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times, no exceptions.
      • Due to active small farm production space (inclusive of bee hives), closed toed shoes are required on the Farm.
      • The once accessible public restroom operated by NYC Parks across the street from the Farm is closed this year for renovations. The next available option is a McDonald’s a block & and half away.
      • English is not the first language of many of our constituents.  As such, photos and video of the Farm’s open spaces are permissible, however, photos and video of any person or likeness, including IRC/New Roots staff, members, students, visitors & guests are only permissible by advance expressed consent.
      • Visitors are encouraged to bring a refillable water bottle and should dress in layers to dress in layers to accommodate often changing weather conditions especially since August is prone to high heat warnings.
    • Robert Clinkscales Community Garden:  Tour Leader, Deborah Gilliard, W. 146 St. bet. Fredrick Douglass Blvd. and Adam Clayton Powell Blvd.

 

Table Presenters During Registration and Lunch: