Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
Nov. 1, 2024 By Shane O’Brien
LaGuardia Community College/CUNY celebrated the grand opening of Finca La Florecita (Little Flower Farm) on Wednesday, a new urban farm and research center located on the LaGuardia campus.
The farm, located at street level behind LaGuardia’s C-Building at 29-10 Thompson Ave., is named in honor of the college’s namesake, former Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia, whose name means “little flower in Italian.”
The farm has been named in Spanish to reflect LaGuardia’s designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, with 45% of students identifying as Hispanic.
Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
“La Finca,” located on a former construction staging area, will serve as a research and learning space for aspiring urban farmers and gardeners, offering students hands-on experience in sustainable agriculture.
The farm will introduce LaGuardia students to careers in farming, including compost project manager and soil scientist, while students will 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.
Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
The farm includes a compost program and a high-tunnel greenhouse where produce can be grown year-round, allowing for year-round, in-ground gardening at La Finca.
Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
A rainwater harvesting system, a sensory garden for children in LaGuardia’s on-campus daycare and fruit-bearing trees will also be added to the farm in the near future.
The farm also includes benches and shade areas, allowing it to serve as a community space and host educational activities.
La Finca is a collaborative project spearheaded by Dr. Preethi Radharkrishnan, professor and director of LaGuardia’s Environmental Science Project, and other departments throughout the college.
Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
Students from LaGuardia’s Sustainable Urban Agriculture program planted the farm throughout the summer and fall, using seedlings from the college’s new Hydroponic Research Lab.
Crops at the farm include kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, lettuce, radishes, basil, corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and leafy greens. Students from the Sustainable Urban Agriculture program selected produce to reflect their home cultures, including hot peppers, okra, cilantro and bok choy.
Wednesday’s grand opening included a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a hands-on workshop in flower pressing and dyeing, farm tasting, botanical illustration, soil building, Indigenous agricultural wisdom and pollinator protection led by LaGuardia faculty and community partners.
Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
Two large-scale murals featuring scenes of farming, family, and cultivation were also unveiled during Wednesday’s grand opening. The murals, designed by Isaac Ramos and Benjamin Taveras, graduates of LaGuardia’s Fine Arts program, will be framed and displayed at the farm.
LaGuardia Community College President Kenneth Adams presented the ceremony for La Finca and was joined by supporters, including U.S. Rep. 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.
Velázquez said the farm represented an opportunity for underserved students.
Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
“Many students, especially low-income students, have never been to a farm. Here, they can pick up vegetables and new skills,” Velázquez said. “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.”
Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
CUNY Chancellor Matos Rodríguez said La Finca perfectly reflected the work done at CUNY and LaGuardia.
“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,” Rodriguez said.
Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
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