Bronx Foodways
Oral Histories Project
Launched in 2021, the Bronx Foodways Oral Histories Project exists to preserve the food histories and life experiences of long-time community gardeners and urban farmers across the borough.
This oral history collection is invaluable. It provides intimate first-hand portraits of the growers, volunteers, and activists—keeping their personal journeys alive for future generations, and underscoring the importance of neighborhood gardens as centers for food, heritage, community, and social justice.
As a social and historical resource accessible to students and the broader community, the project and archive will continue to grow over time. Below, you can explore the first wave of stories, collected in 2021.
The Bronx Foodways Oral Histories Project is made possible with support from the Mellon Foundation.
All photographs of the gardens and gardeners were taken by students from the Bronx Documentary Center. We thank this year’s student photographers: Lucki Islam, Pamela Ysabel Rozon, Adanna Taylor, and Bronx Documentary Center Coordinator, Ricardo Partida.
The Mural Project
Each year The New York Botanical Garden commissions two public murals celebrating Bronx gardeners and farmers from the Oral Histories project. Bronx artist André Trenier is creating the initial works in 2022.
History of the Bronx Community Gardens
Formed in 1988, the Botanical Garden created the Bronx Green-Up program to support the volunteer efforts of residents that were beginning to clean up and beautify vacant lots in the Bronx.
Morris Campus Farm Student Interviews
In the summer of 2022, Bronx Green-Up Apprentice Liana Castillo interviewed students at Morris Campus Farm about their experiences on this unique urban educational farm on their high school campus in Morrisania, Bronx.
