Horticulturist and farmer Amber Tamm is hoping to convert 14 acres of Central Park’s Great Lawn into farmland, an article by Fast Company reports. The Great Lawn measures 55 acres in total.
In the 1800s, a settlement of African American landowners called Seneca Village was located just west of the Great Lawn. The village was destroyed in 1857, to make way for the construction of Central Park.
So as a tribute, Tamm wants to name it Seneca Village Farm.
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To make it a working farm, Tamm tells Fast Company that 14 people would each farm one acre, while mentors would be provided for those interested in learning.
Tamm currently works at rooftop farm Brooklyn Grange, says Fast Company. According to her resume, she also works as a horticulturist and floral designer at Brooklyn’s Petee’s Cafe, and has worked at various farms in New York, California and Hawaii.
While a representative of the Central Park Conservancy tells us that since city parks are subject to strict rules, a project like this may be difficult to approve, the proposal will ultimately get approved or denied by the NYC Parks Department.
Sam Biederman, Senior Advisor and Assistant Commissioner of NYC Parks, also outlined some of the difficulty in approving a project like this. Using Central Park for reasons outside of recreational activity requires a permit, and the Great Lawn only issues seven permits per year (for a maximum period of two days).
While he expressed the challenge of turning over such a significant amount of the Great Lawn, Tamm is soon planning to meet someone from NYC Parks to discuss the project further.
We’ve reached out to both Tamm and the NYC Parks Department. We’ll provide an update once we’re made aware of Seneca Village Farm’s future.
Featured photos by Flickr user Charles Smith.
absurdity at its finest – take the money spent to make the farm and use it to feed them directly. another woke hipster from bklyn vying for publicity….
Central Park is crowded as it is, and heavily utilized by the community. If a Garden is needed, why not bring it closer to the people who may need it. Consider Morningside Park, Inwood Hill Park, or Van Cortland Park.
Rats, squirrels etc are going to have a field day
I don’t know…it’s a great idea, but we so badly need the open spaces we have and I truly think we’d have to have guards there to keep people from stealing the growing produce. We have a lot of broke, hungry people in this city. To whom would the corn and tomatoes belong?
Isn’t the point to feed the people that need it? It wouldn’t be stealing if they were allowed to pick ready produce during regular operating hours.
Is this farm organic? We do not need more pesticides and artificial fertilizers. The park should be left in tact. We need more community gardens and less greedy real estate. Let us have a community gardens everywhere.
NO! NO! NO!
This is ridiculous. Vermin central. But then again the whole upper west side is going to crap anyway…
What a joke! Tear up and ruin the park–supposedly a place of recreation and quiet meditation–to grow a bit of food part of the year for an infinitesimal number of New Yorkers. Rooftop gardening makes more sense! or an abandoned lot or emptied Riker’s Island.
Has the whole city lost its collective mind? Someone is counting on some fat grants and an Exec Director position in yet another marginal non-profit.
A ridiculous,phoney idea. The park is a work of art to serve as the lungs of the city as the designers of the park stipulated. We have all learned how important that open space is to All the people of the city and should not be despoiled for showmanship as this so called vermin attracting farm is not going to do much to provide the large amounts of food needed. Get real
I love this idea. We need more innovators. This is only 2% of the park. It could be quite educational also.
Let’s not mince our words: This is NOT for the hungry of New York; this is for Amber Tamm. Her very own claim to fame. How do we pick 14 families, out of the many thousands who will want to participate? Who will pay for security to protect against thieves and vandals? How will we stop the vermin? Maybe unicorns can help us.
Miles, There are over 500 community gardens in NYC already. You know nothing about this subject. Why not engage your brain before your mouth?
Find another park or a rooftop for a communal garden. We need the greenery of Central Park to watch our migrating birds and to have a haven for our wildlife. There are plenty of other spaces in Manhattan for gardens. Leave Central Park to the people to enjoy.