Edgemere Farm: An Urban Farm on Far Rockaway Offers Relief in a Food Desert

Although urban farms are on the rise, the idea of a highly productive agricultural plot in a city might still seem somewhat outlandish (what about space? or air pollution?). The reality however makes so much sense that it feels imperative to make room for more. Edgemere Farm, managed by Vanessa Seiss and her husband Mike Repasch-Nieves, is run by volunteers on New York City’s Rockaway Peninsula, and feeds the neighborhood on half an acre. It was established in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in 2012, which laid bare the fragility of the city’s food system. “Edgemere is currently a federally designated food desert because of its lack of access to grocery stores that carry fresh and healthy foods,” says Vanessa. “The nearest grocery store is on the perimeter of Edgemere and Far Rockaway [also a food desert]. Most folks here don’t own cars, so getting to grocery stores is difficult. As a result, they mostly shop at the nearby bodegas, which barely carry any remotely healthy or fresh food.”

Scaled down to a smaller and more cyclical system than the large and industrialized farms of our imagining, chickens are on hand for fertilizer, an efficient composting system converts waste into a nutritious growing medium, and seasonal produce is grown with a focus on local needs. Added to this, the city farm is a neighborhood hub, fostering the kind of community engagement that a supermarket chain never could.

Photography by Valery Rizzo.

The book Urban Farmers, by Gardenista contributing photographer Valery Rizzo (with text by Mónica Goya), is a lively testament to the energy behind what happily has become a global movement. The cover stars are Edgemere’s Mike and Vanessa—who talked to us about the ways that the farm serves the local community. “We have public hours during which folks can just come in and hang out,” says Vanessa. “A third of our space is designed with permaculture and food forest ideas in mind, and it truly feels like a garden, with benches, to wander through and relax. Kids love to come for the chickens.”

Urban farms offer not only an alternative to low-nutrient, travel-weary, mass-produced food, but they can guide the way toward personal autonomy and empowerment. Food education can be seamless: “A lot of people who just stumble upon us are surprised that farms like ours exist in New York City. Often, they are amazed at how much variety we offer on just half an acre, including a robust vegetable program, cut flowers, chicken, and bees.”

Edgemere is powered by around 20 regular volunteers as well as irregular help. “Folks who start volunteering with us, or student groups and visitors that come on a tour, see how much work goes into growing vegetables and often leave with a new-found appreciation for food and farmers,” says Vanessa.

Many Edgemere residents have Jamaican and West African backgrounds and the food that is grown is intended to reflect local interest, including Scotch bonnet peppers, collard greens, bitter melon, and callaloo.