LaGuardia Community College environmental science student Brandon Parker is from Flatbush in Brooklyn and lived near Prospect Park. So he was accustomed to greenery, but not necessarily to growing.
That has changed as he studies sustainable urban agriculture at LaGuardia Community College in Queens. The classroom — an urban farm established in 2024 — is located where a building once stood, which was then a construction staging area. It almost became a parking lot, but greener heads prevailed.
What You Need To Know
Finca La Florecita is an urban farm at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, Queens
Environmental science students with a track in sustainable urban farming are able to get first hand experience there
The farm was developed in 2024
“You can see the backdrop is very industrial; it doesn’t look like you would have something like this here, especially something that thrives as much as this space does,” said Parker.
It’s called Finca La Florecita, or Little Flower Farm: a nod to the college’s namesake, former Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia. His first name means “little flower” in Italian. NY1 visited the farm when it was hopping for an Earth Day celebration, but it’s typically busy with students learning how to grow food.
“Farming in New York City comes in many different kinds of shapes and sizes, places large and small, so wanting to make sure students have experience in all different kinds of farming is key to that,” said Chelsea Encababian, a lecturer and coordinator of the sustainable urban agriculture track at LaGuardia Community College, part of the environmental science major.
There are raised beds, in-ground rows, and a high tunnel for planting in the winter. Most of the bounty is donated to the LaGuardia CARES food pantry, which serves around 6,600 students. Over 3,000 pounds of food were grown in the past year.
“Our students are learning firsthand how they can contribute in a really meaningful way to our local community here in Queens,” said Dr. Preethi Radhakrishnan, a professor and director of the school’s environmental science program.
The farm received an Earth Day visit from Damali Wynter, the assistant commissioner for New York State’s Department of Agriculture and Markets. She said there is plenty of opportunity in the food system in the state.
“The fact that it’s happening, the fact that people are excited about it, and it’s kind of growing exponentially. Our food system is in involved in everything: agriculture, all cultures. The more people who are involved, is fantastic,” said Wynter.
Brandon Parker is graduating with an associate’s degree in environmental science and hoping to continue his education at a four-year college and then pursue a career in consulting on urban spaces.
“Either with individuals that want to have a garden in their backyard and set that up and build it out for him, or working with government or community spaces,” said Parker.
He will enter an industry that is growing in the five boroughs and around the nation, all part of the strategy to address food security issues and climate change.