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The economic impact of fresh food is also growing in the city. The number of farmers markets in New York City has nearly doubled, to 146 in 2015 from 79 in 2006, according to city officials. In the 2014-15 school year, the city spent over $27 million on locally produced food, a nearly $2 million increase from the previous year.
“It’s not only individual New Yorkers that are buying locally,” David Haight, the New York State director of the American Farmland Trust, said. “We’re seeing this trend in community institutions as well.”
But a study Mr. Haight’s group released in April found another ominous trend: Farmers in the state are aging, with nearly 30 percent of them age 65 or older. “So another big threat is the number of farms that are going to be up for grabs as senior farmers will be getting out of farming,” he said.
Proponents of farmland preservation point to the growing number of aging farmers in arguing that it is critical to pay for conservation programs now. Mr. Garodnick’s proposal is similar to conservation programs paid for by the federal and state government and by private foundations. In early May, the state announced a $20 million award to preserve 5,600 acres on 28 farms in the Hudson Valley.
Mr. Anthony, who works for the Union Square Hospitality Group, said farmland preservation is critical to the restaurant industry. “Poorly planned development and urban sprawl is destroying at a rapid pace our state’s best quality farmland and other vital agricultural areas,” he said, adding that conservation efforts were vital to ensuring “that safe foods are grown close to where they will be consumed.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio, who has emphasized the need for improved access to affordable fresh fruits and vegetables, especially in low-income schools and neighborhoods, is reviewing Mr. Garodnick’s proposal, a spokeswoman said, and recognizes the importance of preserving farmland. The city’s budget has to be finalized by June 30.
A group of State Assembly members wrote a joint letter to Mr. de Blasio, a Democrat, urging him to support the conservation plan.
“Most of us are the ones in our households who end up making key food decisions,” said Assemblywoman Didi Barrett, a Democrat, who wrote the letter and who represents Dutchess and Columbia Counties. “People I represent are the people who drive to the city each week for farmers markets. And people in the city want to know where their food is coming from and who their farmers are.”
Ms. Ryan said she traveled to the city regularly and was “very concerned to see so many neighborhoods where there’s very little greenery.”
“We see young kids and teenagers living on diet soda and Twinkies,” she continued. “That is a horrifying thing.”
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