Food insecurity is all around us in New York City. From our schoolchildren to our older adults, New Yorkers of all backgrounds are struggling to access the fresh, healthy foods they need to thrive.
According to the state Department of Health, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens all have the highest rates of food insecurity in the state. At the same time, the latest census data reported New York State lost 365,000 acres of farmland — equivalent to 430 Central Parks — eroding local food production capacity when it is needed most.
This is both a racial and economic justice crisis: the communities most vulnerable to hunger are also the most diverse, and the disappearance of small farms threaten not only our food supply but the rural economies and jobs they sustain. Each farm that closes is a loss for families, neighborhoods, and New York’s future.
GrowNYC is no stranger to the fight against food insecurity. For nearly 50 years, we have partnered with regional farmers to ensure a continual supply of fresh, local produce for all New Yorkers. Our Greenmarkets and Farmstands bring fresh local food that would otherwise be out of reach to neighborhoods across the city, connecting more than 250 regional farmers with more than a million shoppers each year.
Together, these markets redeem more than $4 million annually in nutrition benefits such as SNAP/EBT (formally known as food stamps), Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP), and Health Bucks. These programs are not just safety nets — they are powerful economic drivers.
At our markets, every nutrition benefit dollar goes directly into a farmer’s hand, while stretching household budgets and keeping healthy food accessible. FMNP provides WIC participants and low-income older adults with coupons redeemable only at farmers’ markets, ensuring that federal dollars circulate through local farms rather than large corporations.
Every SNAP dollar spent generates $1.54 in local economic activity. Health Bucks, created by the NYC Department of Health, give SNAP shoppers an extra $2 for every $2 they spend at markets, multiplying both food budgets and farm revenue. SNAP-Ed, which equips families with the tools to make healthier food choices, is also facing deep cuts, undermining not only access but education.
One of GrowNYC’s largest projects this year, New York Food for New York Families (NYFNYF), has been a game-changer, purchasing food directly from New York farmers and delivering it for free to community partners serving hungry New Yorkers. It is a model that is simple, effective, and replicable: fighting hunger while keeping farms in business. Yet this August and September, NYFNYF and other programs have been cut or remain under threat, with even deeper reductions to federal food assistance like SNAP/EBT expected after the midterm elections.
As we lose these programs, we are losing the infrastructure that holds our local food system together. This work is not optional. It is life or death for families across the city and for the survival of small farmers. We must double down on what works, connecting New York farmers directly with New York City communities. When funding is in place, our programs stabilize farms across the state and provide lifelines to hundreds of thousands of city residents.
The consequences of these cuts for families and farmers alike are severe. Rising costs and extreme weather already strain small producers, and the loss of these lifelines could force them to cut production, lay off workers or close altogether. For households, even small reductions in benefits mean skipped meals and less nutrition.
Without urgent action from both public and private partners, we risk losing programs that have proven to keep hundreds of farms viable while putting fresh food on the tables of New Yorkers.
The current federal administration is strategically dismantling programs that address hunger, climate change, and the survival of small farmers. We need unified action: public agencies, private industries, elected officials and all New Yorkers must work together to protect this vital network of food access infrastructure before it unravels. This is not charity, but an investment in public health, climate resilience and the stability of our regional economy.
The consequences of inaction are immediate: Families will go without food. Farmers will shut down. Local and rural jobs will vanish. And New York will lose its most powerful tools in the fight for food justice.
We have a choice: let these programs fade away, or fight to keep them alive. Fighting means protecting our neighbors’ dignity, health, and access to fresh food and defending the survival of New York State farms.
Van Ooyen is the president and CEO of GrowNYC, a leading environmental nonprofit.
