Urban farms such as the Red Hook Farms in Brooklyn, New York, have been organized in a way where it is cramped in order for its many farmers to be able to produce as much as possible. However, because of the coronavirus outbreak, many adjustments needed to be made in the farming industry.

Farms needed to adapt to these new changes, they began this shift by creating more distance between people and changing the types of crops they must grow. Prioritizing to grow only essential crops, which are not as labor intensive, and to shift away from restaurant crops, like microgreens and edible flowers. Instead, they are adjusting to producing calorie dense crops that are more for retail accounts such as grocery stores.

In order to be able to produce enough crops in time due to people struggling to find affordable produce amid the coronavirus, the farm had to move up their planting schedule to be able to harvest sooner. The farm also limited contact during pickup of food boxes because before the outbreak, they allowed people to pick out their produce from open boxes, so instead they have the boxes closed and delivered them to low traffic areas such as building lobbies or residents’ floors.

This article demonstrates the change of how the perception of farmers and what they do was undermined because now midst the coronavirus outbreak, the interest of what farmers do and what they truly contribute has grown dramatically. COVID-19 has changed our world substantially, and is effecting the workplace and the system of places like Red Hook Farms. Farms like this are doing everything they can to still provide for others while suffering with having few employees and a higher work load. Detroit’s grocery stores do not have a lot of affordable organic food/produce. The people should not just rely on grocery stores and government resources, but support local farms as well.

Original article: https://thefern.org/ag_insider/virus-is-changing-how-urban-farms-operate-and-even-what-they-grow/