Help Oko Farms raise $200,000 to support our mission to increase fresh food access for NYC residents and promote climate resilience. 

We are facing a critical moment in the face of growing hunger and environmental crises. Oko Farms works to increase affordable, fresh food access for New Yorkers and serves as a training ground and resource for a new generation of farmers, using aquaponics as a sustainable farming model to create climate-resilient communities.

Oko Farms (est. 2013) is New York City's only publicly accessible aquaponics farm, educational center, and community hub. Using aquaponics, we sustainably grow fish and plants together in a recirculating ecosystem to save water and grow more food in small, urban spaces. 

Aquaponics is an adaptable and replicable farming method that can be implemented indoors or outdoors in New York City. Our mission is to use aquaponics farming as a tool for food security, climate mitigation and community resilience.

BIPOC New Yorkers are 2x more likely to experience food insecurity and related bad health outcomes. Urban farms are powerful centers of transformation to address the hunger and climate crises, by growing food directly in communities and teaching critical farming skills. Our vision is of a New York where resilient communities work together to feed themselves sustainably, moving beyond charity to fill the hunger gap. 

We take inspiration from the word “Oko,” a Yoruba word that translates loosely to farm in English but more accurately means a place where agriculture is at the center of socio-economic life, daily activities, and cultural traditions. Oko Farms shows that farmers grow more than food through our hands-on cultural programs and policy advocacy to connect communities with environmental stewardship.

Your contribution directly supports Oko Farms’ critical programs and the development of sustainable urban farming methods:

Productive Urban Farming and Food Distribution:

Since 2013, we have built six productive farms throughout New York City, using aquaponics to sustainably grow culturally relevant vegetables, herbs and fish in small spaces that would have stood empty otherwise. 

Your contributions support the local growing and distribution of 7,000 lbs of fresh produce and vegetables, 50% of which is donated to senior residents at our Bethany Terrace farm in East Flatbush and to community fridges throughout Brooklyn. The remaining 50% is sold at affordable prices at our weekly farm stand and at partner markets.  

Aquaponics Education: 

We use a popular education model to teach sustainable aquaponics farming to 1400+ learners of all ages each year, inviting participants to ask questions, bring their own ideas, and share knowledge. We emphasize accessibility of methods and materials, showing that aquaponics can be adapted to projects of any size, location or budget. 

Your donations support: free hands-on educational aquaponics tours for 250 NY Title I School Students; youth trainee stipends for 4 interns through our paid workforce development program; scholarship opportunities for tuition to our adult aquaponics farm training program; and free needs-based access to our online educational materials. 

Environmental Stewardship:  

Urban farms play a critical role in promoting environmental stewardship. Aquaponics farming recycles fish wastewater to grow organic vegetables thereby using 80 percent less water than traditional farming. When implemented outdoors, it improves ecosystem biodiversity by providing a much needed water source for a variety of beneficial insects including bees and other pollinators. Oko Farms uses our farm site to facilitate educational workshops that engage participants in hands-on education that increases their environmental awareness. We do this through a variety of culinary, wellness, and textile art workshops that engage NYC residents in nature while providing hands-on skills that promote their physical and mental wellbeing. 

Your contributions support our community programs bringing together 1000s : Free nutrition and culinary lessons through our Series Ẹ Wá Jẹun (Come and eat) for teens and adults; herbal medicine workshops; and our Clothing Restoration Project which connects agriculture to clothing by engaging participants in the slow-craft of textile production from seed to cloth.