About us
Harlem Grown is an independent, non-profit organization that partners with the
NYC Parks Department and Department of Education and a variety of food advocacy and community
agriculture organizations. The main function of Harlem Grown is to connect local public schools to the
greater community through the use of common garden spaces and mutually engaging activities.
We raise support for physical renovation of abandoned lots, providing the tools, supplies and
manpower to physically transform wasted space into a vibrant garden classroom through a number
of grant sponsored initiatives. We also work to engage pro-bono partners in developing a structured
learning curriculum that lets kids participate from the planning through the planting, crop management
and harvest and finally to food preparation, nutrition and even sales.
Our mission
Our mission is to increase the capacity of communities and students to access nature and green spaces, to engage these communities with nutritional and outdoor educational opportunities and improve access to a wider range of healthy foods while focusing on food justice issues. We address these goals by creating a living classroom opportunity for urban and at risk students and offering programming which allows in-need populations to learn about agriculture, nutrition, food sourcing and business.
We transform abandoned community gardens and park lots into vibrant urban farms in partnership with local public schools and the community, we integrate our small farms with school curriculums thereby providing inside-city students who are traditionally cut off from access to direct experience of nature and farming a chance to learn by doing.
