While standing in the midst of modern day Brooklyn and gazing out across the sea of concrete comprising our sidewalks and streets, it's hard to imagine that Kings county thrived for 250 years as one of the leading agriculture centers in the United States. As late as 1880, Brooklyn was home to enough farms to rank as the largest producer of vegetables outside of neighboring Queens County, but by the close of WWII virtually all agriculture had disappeared, paving the way for the urban landscape of today.

The opening of the Erie Canal in 1825 was a landmark event in the history of New York State, creating a significant shift in farming practices that effected production in NYC. With grain and livestock now cheaper to raise elsewhere, Kings County could transition from this extensive system into a more intensive one, providing a diverse bounty of vegetables for Manhattan's tables. In turn, Brooklyn's proximity to the booming population center just across the East River with its easily accessible markets and abundant sources of fertilizer meant smaller farms could be just as profitable as the larger ones of the past. Requiring less acreage, this new model presented an immediate solution to the mounting pressures of overcrowding and pollution plaguing Manhattan. Brooklyn's readily available land was ripe for development.

In 1898, Greater New York City was formed, uniting the five boroughs, their economies, their people and their problems. Overnight it swelled into the second largest city in the world. Industry and commerce were seen as the future and despite Brooklyn's ability to feed the city agriculture was standing in the way of change. The opening of the Brooklyn Bridge in 1883 further cemented the city's physical relationship, leading to escalating real estate costs along the waterfront that quickly spread beyond. This progress affected the economy in two ways. Farmers with excess assets began to sell to the highest bidder, which priced out new farmers before they could establish themselves. Land was quickly becoming a commodity more valuable than the food that could be raised on it. As a result, during the decade between 1900-1910 the number of Brooklyn's farms witnessed their sharpest downturn ever, declining by nearly 70%. A new chapter in our borough's history was being written and agriculture was merely a footnote.

What happened on a relatively small scale in Brooklyn can be viewed as a microcosm for the larger issues surrounding the way our food is grown today and the eventual journey it takes to our plates. Brooklyn's transformation wouldn't have been possible if not for advancements in transportation and industrialization, allowing our food to be raised further away for far less money. When we look at our country as a whole, less than 100 years ago there was a seemingly endless availability of high quality farmland, but the effects of urban sprawl have changed our relationship to the land, causing us to search beyond our borders for answers.

Although globalization is working for the time being, given our increasingly tenuous connection to our food sources, when do we stop to ask if this situation is okay? An ever-widening gap between where food is physically produced and where it is consumed creates not only geographical divisions, but shifts in attitudes and understanding as well. One need only look at the political landscape of our country for evidence of this fact. Then factor in the resources, particularly oil, necessary to produce and transport our food an average of 1500 miles to our homes and the larger issue of environmental impact comes to light.

And what about the pleasurable act of eating itself? The relatively simple matters of nutrition and taste when viewed together, highlight the complexities inherent in today's commercial farming practices, where engineering a uniformly round, red tomato that ships well takes precedence over growing an imperfectly perfect one with a shorter shelf life that bursts with flavor. Though fruits and vegetables can only attain their peak nutritional value and taste when allowed to ripen to full maturity on the plant, the longer distances our food must travel require that it be picked before this potential can be reached. Additionally, each day spent between harvest and consumption further decrease their overall health benefits. Yet this is the system where most of our food comes from.

Short of stepping back into a bygone period in our city's history to undo the mistakes of the past, the solutions necessary to address these problems require that we take a creative approach to developing and sustaining the resources available today. And that process starts locally. As we've already seen, it's easy to lose sight of Brooklyn's rich agricultural heritage in our daily lives, but significant actions to change the way we think about how and where our food is grown are already underway.

In locations as diverse as East New York, East Flatbush, Red Hook and Bed-Stuy, city gardens are being planted, supplying fresh, healthy produce to the surrounding areas, while bringing the communities they serve together in positive ways. These gardens have been the impetus towards establishing greenmarkets in these neighborhoods, providing opportunities for local gardeners and vendors, as well as regional farmers to participate. These markets have in turn, created a foundation for educating people of all ages on issues of food justice, community development and nutrition. All of these benefits, literally growing from an idea as simple as locally grown food.

Despite this impressive list of achievements, more still remains to be accomplished. Many residents still lack access to good, clean food and the reach of the greenmarket system needs to be more pervasive. Many institutions and non-profits have stepped up to answer the call, but with limited grant money available to support increased development and outreach, these agencies find themselves competing with one another for the same funds. Recognizing this fact, it became clear that a singular organization was necessary to unify this vision, strengthen the network and ultimately empower the people and economy of Brooklyn. Once again, a new bridge is being constructed, signaling a new shift in attitudes. Built not out of metal and concrete, but rather by common goals about local food, ensuring our borough's new model of agriculture will continue blossoming for years to come. Brooklyn Bounty will be that link and we welcome you to get involved.

-Scott J Lachut