Local Farm Finds New Ways to Feed Community
by Chris Rechen
A farm local to Poughkeepsie has been working to fight the chronic food insecurity problem in the Hudson Valley. The Poughkeepsie Farm Project, established in 1999 as a small community farm, has grown and expanded such that they are able to give back to the less fortunate in the area.
The Project is part of the food justice movement, which is an international effort to promote sustainability in the food system. This means that the land used to grow the food is protected so that the fields aren’t ruined for the next year. These practices have helped the Poughkeepsie Farm Project to produce massive amounts of produce, culminating in harvesting 17,000 pounds of food in the month of October, including carrots, beets, potatoes, peppers, and much more.
Portions of this food go towards providing subsidized Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares to food-insecure families. This is a big problem in the area, as one in every four families in Poughkeepsie are food insecure by USDA standards according to Poughkeepsie Plenty, a local anti-hunger organization. By contrast, the national average is one in six households, with one in 10 suffering from severe food insecurity. To combat this, the organization is committed to donating produce to local soup kitchens and food shelters twice a week. Plus, they donate to sponsored share families as well, amounting to a total of 37,000 pounds in 2016, an estimated worth of almost $75,000.
As the organization has grown, it has not lost its personal touch, though. The employees are all still solely committed to helping the community just as much as ever. Margery Groten, a Farm project board member, says it is her favorite part of the job. “All week I look forward to distribution day,” says Groten.
In addition to the CSA program, the Farm Project has added educational programs to people of all ages to spread knowledge of why food justice is important and how to get involved. Farm educator Rebecca Flack stresses the importance of this program- “The Poughkeepsie Farm Project does amazing work in connecting schoolchildren to growing their own food,” Flack says. Growing food on your own is vitally important in maintaining food justice, as seeds cost only a fraction of the price of fresh produce.
All of the steps taken to help the food insecurity problem are twofold, for both now and in the future. “I think we are doing really good work to help families right now, but more importantly I’m proud of how we are setting up and teaching people to help themselves,” says Ray Armater, the Poughkeepsie Farm Project’s executive director.
The Poughkeepsie Farm Project is looking to continue its work in the coming months over the winter. To find out how to get involved, support the project, or learn more about the initiatives you can visit their website, Farmproject.org, or stop by the farm itself, located at 51 Vassar Farm Lane.
