VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Brady Farm grows fresh for the south side
Olivia Rodriguez: In the south side of Syracuse, amongst the I-81 viaduct and the growing number of apartment complexes, one community nonprofit is changing the way we think about food.
Alex Sandler: We have customers who are like “I only buy spinach here. I’ve been ruined for grocery store spinach. I can only get it from you guys.” I think it has increased people’s appreciation for produce and access and exposure to produce.
Olivia Rodriguez: Brady Farm is an urban farm that organically grows fresh and affordable produce to combat food insecurity in the city. The south side specifically is notoriously a food desert, and Brady Farm’s services have only grown necessary over the years.
Ethan Tyo: We don’t really think about the complex systems until they falter, and so as we saw during the pandemic there’s a huge need for really making sure that we had a sustainable food supply where we’re at.
Olivia Rodriguez: But food insecurity in Syracuse is far from an isolated issue. Every day Brady Farm aims to combat the county’s 19% childhood food insecurity rate. But operating a farm in an urban area means facing issues that most farms don’t.
Alex Sandler: When you have such a concentrated issue, I think most of the soil around here is contaminated with lead. We have a lot of foundation left over in the soil and a lot of asbestos that we started out with. Now we’re able to grow hundreds and hundreds of pounds of fresh produce.
Olivia Rodriguez: And whether it’s out in the field or out in the streets, Brady Farm continues to expand their outreach to support every person on the south side.
Ethan Tyo: We’ve been able to pilot some stuff like Farm Stands directly at residential buildings for people who don’t have mobility. Elderly people who don’t have transportation or people that don’t have the economic means to find transportation.
Olivia Rodriguez: And as the farm celebrates their 10th growing season, their goals stay the same as they always have been. Growing good back into the community. Olivia Rodriguez, N-C-C News.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — It’s easy to take for granted the value of fresh and organic food, but at Brady Farm, there is nothing more important.
Brady Farm is a non-profit urban farm that organically grows fresh and affordable produce. The goal is to combat food insecurity in Syracuse’s historically low-income south side. For many, the organization is important because it upholds a pillar of the community that often goes unnoticed.
“We don’t really think about these complex systems until they falter,” said Ethan Tyo, the Brady Farm marketing manager, “and so as we saw during the pandemic there’s a huge need for really making sure that we had a sustainable food supply where we’re at.”
The south side of Syracuse is notoriously a food desert, lacking grocery stores and access to fresh and affordable food. In Onondaga County alone, the childhood food insecurity rate can reach up to 19%. Over the past 10 years, Brady Farm has cemented itself as as community staple. They grow everything organically from tomatoes to lettuce to spinach. But farm’s location anything but ideal, presenting issues for employees like assistant farm manager Alex Sandler.
“When you have such a concentrated issue, I think most of the soil around here is contaminated with lead,” said Sandler, “We have a lot of foundation left over in the soil and a lot of asbestos that we started out with. Now we’re able to grow hundreds and hundreds of pounds of fresh produce.”
Sandler was also denied a loan that would have provided the farm with updated facilities, but says he was denied because the farm operates is a non-profit and the loan wouldn’t reap any benefits. Still, the farm continues to expand their reach and output with new programs aimed at getting the farm’s resources to everyone on the south side.
“We’ve been able to pilot some stuff like Farm Stands directly at residential buildings for people who don’t have mobility,” said Tyo, “Elderly people who don’t have transportation or people that don’t have the economic means to find transportation.”
Despite every challenge, Brady Farm persists. They stay open four days a week, offering education in organically grown food, farming and workforce development, and field trips for children and families to get their hands dirty on the farm. Access to healthy food has dramatically increased in the south side throughout Brady Farm’s 10 years. It’s what keeps people coming back.
“We have customers who are like ‘I only buy spinach here. I’ve been ruined for grocery store spinach. I can only get it from you guys,'” Sandler says of the farm’s regulars, “I think it has increased people’s appreciation for produce and access and exposure to produce.”
The farm has no plans to slow down anytime soon. As community engagement only grows as the winter months approach, plans to expand their efforts and keep providing organically grown produce to the ever-growing south side population are underway.