LaGuardia Community College Celebrates Grand Opening of Finca La Florecita (Little Flower Farm)
Two Murals Created by LaGuardia Fine Art Majors for La Finca Unveiled
LONG ISLAND CITY, NY (October 30, 2024) — Earlier today, LaGuardia Community College/CUNY celebrated the grand opening of Finca La Florecita (Little Flower Farm), a new urban farm and research center on campus. Named in honor of the college’s namesake, former Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia, whose name means “little flower” in Italian, the farm’s Spanish name reflects LaGuardia’s designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, with 45% of students identifying as Hispanic. La Finca is located behind the LaGuardia’s C-Building, at street-level on 47th Avenue between 29th and 30th Streets, in a lot formerly used as a construction staging area.
Click here to watch a short video about the grand opening of Finca La Florecita.
LaGuardia Community College President Kenneth Adams emceed a ribbon-cutting ceremony for La Finca, joined by supporters including Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez; CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez; Miriam Ana Vilamil of the USDA; Qiana Mickie of the NYC Mayor’s Office; and representatives from the Offices of Senator Kristen Gonzalez and Council Member Julie Won.
“This program represents an equalization for underserved schools and students. Many students, especially low-income students, have never been to a farm. Here they can pick up vegetables and new skills,” said Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez. “All it takes is one individual with a great idea. But in order to execute that idea and put it to work, it takes a whole village.”
“You couldn’t think of a better project in terms of hitting everything that’s important and beautiful about the work that we do in education and the work that we do at CUNY and LaGuardia,” said Chancellor Matos Rodríguez.
“When we support urban farms and community gardens, we are creating more equitable access for folks to be able to increase affordable health while also mitigating effects of climate change,” said Ms. Mickie, Executive Director of the NYC Office of Urban Agriculture. “When you are able to be on the land and connect to land and connect to your community, you are growing power as well. School gardens are learning gardens, learning gardens are community gardens, and all of our growing green spaces are vital and the lungs of our city.”
“A garden is a solution that leads to many other solutions,” said Ms. Vilamil, USDA’s NYC Urban County Executive Director.
A Living Land Acknowledgement was offered by Sub-Chief Owl S. D. Smith, member of the Ramapough Lenape Nation of New York and New Jersey; he was introduced by LaGuardia staff member Estefany Gonzaga, director of LaGuardia’s Peer Mentor Program.
“This is land of the Lenape people. It’s not our land,” said Sub-Chief Smith. “I can’t think of a better way to acknowledge the land we are on than building an urban farm on it.”
The ribbon-cutting was followed by hands-on workshops led by LaGuardia faculty and community partners, in flower pressing and dyeing, farm tasting, botanical illustration, soil building, Indigenous agricultural wisdom, and pollinator protection.
Two large-scale murals featuring scenes of farming, family, and cultivation, were unveiled. The murals were designed and painted by Isaac Ramos (’24) and Benjamin Taveras González (’22), alumni of LaGuardia’s Fine Arts program. Once framed, the murals will be displayed at the garden.
“I wanted to capture through this painting the essence of what this farm means for the school, its students, faculty and everyone involved on it,” said Mr. Ramos, who is currently pursuing a bachelor’s at Queens College. “Taking inspiration from Latin American muralist style, Mesoamerican art and South Asian art and architecture, I tried to portrait a scene that shows that everyone can take part on farming and the importance of the community and diversity not just on the people but also in the plants that are and will be grown on this farm. I also wanted to pay tribute in a way to the native people of this land (The Lenape People) by showcasing the flora and fauna of this region on the painting’s frame. I felt really connected to this piece and project specifically because my father has been a farmer his whole life and he taught me the importance of the land and what grows on it.”
“Through the use of natural elements in a whimsical manner I want to depict the magical environment we have in front of us,” said Mr. Taveras, a student at City College, where he is pursuing a bachelor’s in Electronic Design and Multimedia. “I am attracted by the fantastical symbiosis between machine and nature. A simple concept that can restore what nature has given us.”
Finca La Florecita is a collaborative project spearheaded by Dr. Preethi Radhakrishnan, professor and director of LaGuardia’s Environmental Science Program, and departments throughout the college. It serves as a research and learning space for aspiring urban farmers and gardeners, offering students hands-on experience in sustainable agriculture.
Students from the Sustainable Urban Agriculture program planted the farm throughout the summer and fall, using seedlings from the new Hydroponic Research Lab. Crops grown include kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, lettuce, radishes, basil, corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and leafy greens. The produce was selected by Sustainable Urban Agriculture students—reflecting their families and home cultures, including hot peppers, okra, cilantro, and bok choy. La Finca supports the LaGuardia CARES food pantry, providing the pantry with fresh produce, addressing food insecurity among students and the local community.
Through La Finca, students are introduced to careers in urban farming, such as compost project manager and soil scientist. They also learn about seed saving, composting, and sustainable farming practices. Each semester, three students receive $2,000 stipends to work as farm fellows, helping to tend and maintain La Finca.
Finca La Florecita currently includes a compost program and a high tunnel greenhouse, where produce will be grown year-round, extending the growing season for year-round, in-ground gardening. It will soon feature a rainwater harvesting system, a sensory garden for children in LaGuardia’s on-campus daycare, and fruit-bearing trees. The farm aims to be a vibrant, year-round educational and community space with benches and shade areas.
Urban farming is gaining traction in New York City and nationwide for its role in climate resiliency and food access, and job opportunities. Curriculum and internships at La Finca are supported by a $250,000 USDA Hispanic-Serving Institutions grant (no. 2021-77040-34874) awarded in 2021 to Dr. Radhakrishnan. Philanthropic support enabled the purchase of farm equipment.
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LaGuardia Community College (LAGCC), a Hispanic-Serving Institution, located in Long Island City, Queens offers more than 50 degrees and certificates, and more than 65 continuing education programs to educate New Yorkers seeking new skills and careers. As an institution of the City University of New York (CUNY), the College reflects the legacy of our namesake, Fiorello H. LaGuardia, the former NYC mayor beloved for his advocacy of underserved populations. Since 1971, LaGuardia’s academic programs and support services have advanced the socioeconomic mobility of students while providing them with access to a high quality, affordable college education.
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