Case Studies
Growing on Rooftops: How One Urban Farm Is Adapting to Climate Change
As climate change affects urban farms, adaptation practices provide solutions for crops, farm operations, and workers, as seen in the example of Brooklyn Grange.
Urban agriculture is a growing part of New York State’s agricultural economy. With more people moving from rural areas to urban centers across the state,1 access to high quality, fresh, local, and culturally appropriate food is critical. Brooklyn Grange (The Grange) was established in New York City in 2010 by Ben Flanner, co-founder and chief executive officer, and Anastasia Cole Plakias, co-founder and chief impact officer. Flanner and Plakias started The Grange to promote sustainable urban living and increase access to locally grown food in New York City.
Today, The Grange leases a total of 5.6 acres across three sites in the city and is a leader in the rooftop farming industry. Each year, the farms produce over 100,000 pounds of organically grown produce, which the farmers sell through a sliding-scale community-supported agriculture system, at farmers markets, and directly to retailers. Due to space constraints and factors such as high production costs, rent, supplies, and labor, The Grange farmers focus on producing quick-turnover, high-yielding crops that are scalable across production sites. The farmers also create value-added products for additional revenue—their hot sauce sells 10,000 to 14,000 bottles per year. The Grange’s highly diversified operation provides resilience against extreme weather conditions; however, like other farms, they are feeling the effects of climate change and looking for ways to adapt.
Highlights
- Climate change impacts such as heat waves, extreme rainfall, high winds, and pests pose risks to crops, farm operations, and workers.
- Practices such as diversifying products, monitoring water use, and planting perennials to protect soil can help urban farms build resilience.
The Grange deals with pests, extreme rainfall, heat waves, and high winds. Aphids have long been an issue, but pests such as the two-spotted spider mite, which thrives in heat, have become a more serious problem in recent years. Two-spotted spider mite levels have increased across farms in New York City and the entire state. “We have lost thousands of dollars each year because of damage from pests, and the money we put towards pest control, mainly beneficial insects, has increased,” said Flanner.
Heavy precipitation events, such as the more than 8 inches that fell in a 24-hour period during Hurricane Ida in 2021,2 have damaged both crops and buildings. “The drainage system could not handle the rain, which left damages and resulted in changes [an increase] in our insurance premium,” said Flanner. However, the additional precipitation has not saved the farm money on irrigation. The Grange still had to invest in irrigation to withstand high temperatures and dry spells during summer months, which would otherwise reduce crop yields. The installation of water meters at two of their three locations allowed farmers to monitor water use and optimize irrigation, switching to shorter but more frequent irrigation events for most crops.
High winds are another concern. “Wind clobbers our yields.…It makes it so hard to plant the early spring plants because when they are at a vulnerable age you don’t know if half your plants will be dead in the morning because they got hit with a 30-mile per hour wind,” said Flanner. High winds have also caused erosion at the rooftop farms. To protect the crops and build resilience, The Grange’s farmers have planted more perennials to serve as wind breaks along with the longer-season annuals. Although perennials have lower yields, they require less tillage and fewer inputs, and they keep the soil covered to reduce erosion. This strategy is not ideal from a business perspective, since the goal is to maximize square footage for harvestable crops, but erratic weather has made the farmers reconsider some of their practices. The Grange invests in soil health by reducing tillage and using soil amendments such as biochar and compost to increase soil organic matter, capture carbon, and feed microbes.
Farmers and farmworkers at The Grange are struggling with the frequency of high winds and heat waves. They adjust their weekly schedule during heat waves and complete only critical tasks (for example, harvesting only what is needed). “The heat spells are brutal….Often it means starting when the sun is coming up and being done by the middle of the day,” said Flanner. Prolonged high temperatures affect the crops as well, but irrigation provides the added ability to water crops as needed.
The Grange will continue to assess the impacts of climate change on their operations and adjust their practices to continue providing fresh local produce and products to the New York City community.
References
1. International Organization for Migration. (2022). Urbanization and migration. Migration Data Portal. https://www.migrationdataportal.org/themes/urbanization-and-migration
2. Goldberg, B., & Layne, N. (2021, September 3). Ida’s record rain floods New York-area homes, subways; at least 44 dead. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/new-york-city-mayor-declares-state-emergency-after-record-breaking-rain-2021-09-02/