Citi Roots

Citi Roots
Name	Citi Roots
Formation	2008
Type	Nonprofit organization
Headquarters	New York City
Region served	Urban neighborhoods across New York City and select U.S. cities
Leader title	Executive Director
Leader name	(varies)
Website	(official website)

Citi Roots Citi Roots is an urban agriculture nonprofit founded in 2008 devoted to transforming vacant lots and rooftops into productive food-growing sites across New York City, with programming that blends hands-on horticulture, youth development, and urban planning. Drawing on models from organizations such as Green Bronx Machine, GrowNYC, The Trust for Public Land, City Harvest, and Slow Food USA, Citi Roots operates at the intersection of neighborhood revitalization, environmental stewardship, and workforce training. Its projects engage municipal agencies like the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation and educational institutions including Columbia University, New York University, and local public schools.

History

Citi Roots emerged amid the post-2000 urban agriculture resurgence that included initiatives such as Brooklyn Grange, South Central Farm, Detroit Black Community Food Security Network, La Via Campesina, and Farm School NYC. Early pilots converted vacant parcels in neighborhoods affected by disinvestment—drawing leadership from activists and urban planners who had collaborated with Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), Common Ground Relief, and neighborhood land trusts modeled after The Food Project. By 2010 Citi Roots expanded through partnerships with community development corporations like St. Nicks Alliance and municipal programs modeled on New York Restoration Project. Funding and program design were influenced by philanthropy trends exemplified by the Ford Foundation, Kresge Foundation, and New York Community Trust.

Mission and Programs

Citi Roots articulates a mission to increase food access and green-collar employment in underserved neighborhoods, aligning with initiatives from Let’s Move!, Mayor’s Office of Food Policy (New York City), and national networks such as Urban Agriculture Network. Core programs include youth apprenticeship similar to YouthBuild USA, adult vocational training modeled after Green City Force, a neighborhood farm-stand program inspired by Wholesome Wave, and a rooftop agriculture consultancy akin to Brooklyn Grange. Partnerships with healthcare providers like Mount Sinai Health System and social service organizations including Community Food Advocates support nutrition education, while collaborations with cultural institutions such as The New York Botanical Garden and Brooklyn Museum extend outreach.

Urban Agriculture Methods

Citi Roots employs diversified practices: raised-bed cultivation influenced by techniques popularized by Rodale Institute and Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture; soil remediation strategies deployed in consultation with researchers from Columbia University Earth Institute and Cornell University Cooperative Extension; aquaponics and hydroponics systems inspired by projects at MIT Media Lab and Vertical Harvest; and rooftop installations following standards used by Brooklyn Grange and NYC Department of Buildings. Pest management integrates approaches from Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) and National Organic Program (USDA). Seed sourcing and heirloom varieties reference collections maintained by Seed Savers Exchange and Svalbard Global Seed Vault-connected networks.

Community Impact and Partnerships

Citi Roots measures impact through metrics common to organizations like Feeding America and Urban Institute studies: pounds of produce distributed, job placements, and acres converted to productive use. It partners with food banks such as City Harvest and Food Bank For New York City, health systems like NYC Health + Hospitals, housing groups like Enterprise Community Partners, and workforce development entities including New York City Department of Small Business Services. Cultural collaborations with Bronx Community College, Hunter College, and arts organizations like BRIC support community arts-agriculture projects. Municipal collaborations include pilot programs with New York City Economic Development Corporation and policy engagement with Office of the Mayor of New York City.

Funding and Governance

Citi Roots’ funding model combines private philanthropy from foundations such as Ford Foundation and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation with government grants from sources like New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets and municipal funding streams modeled on NYC Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). Corporate partnerships have included give-back programs similar to those run by Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe’s, and social impact investments modeled after Slow Money. Governance typically features a volunteer board drawn from nonprofits, urban planners, and academia—paralleling governance models at Greenbuild-aligned nonprofits and community land trusts like The Trust for Public Land.

Challenges and Criticisms

Citi Roots faces challenges familiar to urban agriculture initiatives, including land tenure insecurity like disputes seen in cases involving South Central Farm and Gaviotas, scalability constraints encountered by GrowNYC and Brooklyn Grange, and soil contamination liabilities addressed in litigation such as Love Canal-era policy debates. Critics draw on analyses comparable to those from The Economist and academic critiques in journals from Rutgers University and University of California, Berkeley that question long-term economic viability, gentrification effects similar to debates around Green Gentrification, and reliance on unstable funding streams reminiscent of critiques leveled at nonprofit industrial complex. Proponents point to documented outcomes in workforce placement and public health collaborations that echo successes reported by Green Bronx Machine and The Food Project.

Category:Nonprofit organizations based in New York City