NJ lawmakers advance landmark legislation aimed at expanding urban farming

New Jersey lawmakers took a step Monday towards making the state the first to establish a program to acquire and preserve urban land for farming and community gardening.

The state Senate’s Appropriation and Budget committee passed the bill Monday, 9-3.

The bill, authored by Sen. Shirley Turner, a Democrat from Central Jersey, would appropriate $25 million dollars collected from corporate tax revenues to establish the Preserve New Jersey Urban Agriculture and Horticulture Fund. This money would be used to purchase and lease small plots of land in cities around the state for growing food and other plant life, as well as educating local communities on agriculture. The bill also gives the program clearance to partner with local growers and nonprofits to steward the land.

Turner called it an opportunity for “shortchanged” NJ city residents who  haven't been able to participate in the preservation of open space and agricultural opportunities to the degree that suburbanites have.

“That is where we really need it most because we have so much in the way of concrete, pavement, and of course food deserts where we have a hard time getting grocery stores that provide fresh fruits and vegetables,” she told Gothamist.

Kevin Porter, director of Rabbit Hole Farm in Newark, called the bill “truly needed.”

“Especially in the cities like Newark, Jersey City, [and] Patterson … where it's getting more challenging to find green space,” he told Gothamist.

In 2013, Porter leased a 6,000-square-foot plot of land from the city for a $1 a year through Newark’s Adopt-a-lot program. At Rabbit Hole, Porter grows vegetables to feed his family and friends, and also runs educational programs for the community.

Before the bill has a chance for a full vote of the legislature, the counterpart to Turner’s bill still needs to be vetted on the Assembly side.

Last month, Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson introduced a version that was referred to the Assembly Commerce, Economic Development and Agriculture committee. The committee is scheduled to meet Thursday, but this piece of legislation has not been added to the docket yet.