Written by Olivia Twining
Stacy Murphy, an urban farmer in Brooklyn New York, has started a business called BK Farmyards that provides local food distribution to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and to help provide green jobs for people. Stacy has dedicated her life to seeking out unutilized land in New York and transforming it into gardens full of fresh produce. Best part is, BK Farmyards does all the work for you. If you have any unutilized land you are willing to share, you can contact Stacy and her team of farmers, and they will come plant and harvest crops on your land.
“I think there’s a gap in the food system. There’s available land that’s underutilized, and people who want to use that land.” – Stacy Murphy
If there are over 10,000 unused acres in New York, why not take advantage of the fertile land? Stacy Murphy is growing more than just produce; she is growing a green community that is helping to reduce the use of fossil fuels and other limited resource. She is also supplying job opportunities to people of all ages.
In order for America to continue its journey towards a more sustainable society, backyard farming needs to become more prevalent in all states. Stacy needs to gain national attention so she can share her story and agricultural ideas about backyard farming in order to really connect with America and make a difference. I believe that if BK Farmyards expanded to all across the nation, it would help America to become a “greener” society and it would also help to decrease the use of limited resources and harmful pollutants.
To Learn More About BK Farming Click Here: www.bkfarmyards.com
Green Business Thumb: http://3blmedia.posterous.com/green-business-thumb-bk-farmyards-turns-littl
I think this idea is a great solution to many problem that farming causes. As Olivia said it will reduce CO2 but as well, it will also reduce the depletion of our forests. If this was to be done by most people it would have a great positive impact in our environment. On the other hand, as Stacy Murphy said on the video “people who come to me are usually people that are already interested in environmental issues”. For most people who don’t care or are to busy to think about the environment this is definitely not an option. This is why i think this will only work in a small scale.
Although it might work on only a small scale, it will raise some sort of awareness. Isn’t that the main point with anyone that is involved in environmental issues, to raise awareness? I think this is a great start. Even if only a handful of individuals are involved, this is enough to raise some sort of awareness throughout the community. I don’t think enough credit is being given to Stacy’s idea and the potential farmyards can have.
Yes I agree with you that the point is to raise some sort of awareness, and by raising awareness more people will be willing to do this. Small impacts like this, even if each is different I its own way, will eventually create a big impact. But as i said, most people don’t have the time or are even willing to spend time taking care of their farm. That’s why I don’t see this project becoming huge. But thing like this are the ones who are going to lead the path towards sustainability.
I share the same view that not many people will have the time to do some as big as having their own gardens to eat from, especially in New York City, but it could have some affect on some people in the community. Just a few people creating their own gardens is better than none at all. Who knows, someday gardening could become the next big thing, after all it is called The Big Apple.
I agree with Santi that many people are too busy to actually care about this sort of thing, but sometimes when a few people are really passionate about an idea, that idea can take off and become a phenomenon. Yes it might start on only a small scale, but who’s to say that eventually all of the empty land might not be occupied by farming? Everything has to start somewhere and I think that using excess land for growing more food will take off not only in New York, but all over the world eventually.
I think Cameron raises a good point here. I agree that this idea will blow up. I think that most people that have the space will use it to produce more of their own food.
Farming unused land is a great idea. It would save the destructive need to clear land first. Hebden is right about the awareness factor that this brings with it. Will this idea ever become big time? I have a hard time believing it will. The business would really have to expand and then develop competition in the form of other farmers doing the same thing to really expand the idea. She says that her team will do all of the work. That is great and takes care of the laziness factor for some people. But, her and her team can’t do it alone. For the biggest environmental impact to be made, individuals would need to farm their backyards too. I like the idea a lot and it shows how devoted some people are to helping the planet. I hope I’m wrong and it takes off.
I totally agree with what Chris is saying. The goal of this project is not to feed America or make NYC into a sustainable green city but it is just to raise awareness. I am really surprised to hear that this is happening in such a populated place like New York. I’m sure that it is quite rare to have a backyard so I understand why gardening is not very popular there. I think that a lot of people will be encouraged by this project because if this can happen in New York then this can happen anywhere. Imagine what more we could do with the space that we have in Dallas where backyards are much more common. I love the fact that she doesn’t shy away from a challenge and isn’t afraid to make a difference while recognizing that it is small.
I agree with Catherine! Imagine how many gardens we could grow in Dallas?! This is completely awesome. I bet the taste is completely different as well. For a person who does not eat vegetables like EVER (i really don’t) I still find myself wanting to grow stuff in my backyard and trying them out. People do say they taste better! If New York can do this than we can definitely do this. I agree that we are not trying to feed the entire world we are just trying to take some pressure off. If a few people from every state do this then there can possibly be a true impact. More available jobs is also a big plus. This idea is just beneficial all around! Can we do one at parish?
But isn’t the eventual goal to feed America or make NYC into a sustainable city? I mean what’s wrong with striving to make huge changes like this? Yes, right now they are just trying to spread awareness about this, but we can think bigger here. There probably is not much available land in New York but whatever is can be used for this. I think that this definitely can be utilized in places like Dallas, especially because we have so much extra land.
I agree, with the land we still have around Dallas, we should definitely use that land to do something like this rather than build more buildings and infrastructure. I think this could definitely make a big difference in our food supply and the quality of the food we are eating.
I hope Stacy Murphy is able to expand her idea to other large cities. Like Catherine and Chris said this project is abour awareness as well as living sustainably. If her business is able to expand to other citites more people will become aware of the growing issues in the environment. I know that there are some communities in the Dallas area that have started neighborhood gardens and I think with the help of Murphy, Dallas could expand those projects to individual homes. Most people lack the skill, time, and knowledge to grow a properous garden, but if they had help from a group who can start their garden and teach them how to maintain it more people would be able to grow their own food.
I think Haley is right when she says most people lack the skill, time, and knowledge, to make this extremely successful; however this is not just about trying to make NY better or greener but about trying to send a message and word out to other people that it’s possible to make this small difference. It doesn’t matter if it’s so small as long as it does make a difference. i think this is a lot of peoples downfall. They think helping is only good if it helps a lot of people and that’s just not true. One little thing can snow ball in to a huge difference.
Agreeing with both of you, I think that a project like this definitely requires skill and effort and Stacy is trying to send a message to the world, not just New York. However, I believe that for this project to make a relatively large impact on cities worldwide, it has to become just that: worldwide. By this I mean backyard gardens should be in at least 25% of the world’s cities in order to say that they are making a noticeable impact on society. So supposing that there were to be quite a big percentage of the human population growing their own produce in their backyard, what type of limiting factors would prevent someone from being successful with this concept? I first think about rodents getting into the gardens, people that live in apartments, and people living in climate that are intolerable to food growth.
Stacy should be given more recognition for what she has done. She has not only set up a place to give you more healthy and greener foods or get rid of fossil fuels doing it, but she is also williing to do it for you. As Hebby said, our number one goal is to raise awareness but another goal is to find ways to produce more food for the future that is better for you.
Yes! What Stacy is doing is so awesome! She has the courage to step out and try and make a difference in such a huge city such as New York where there is not a lot of extra land. She is thinking big and I think that if people follow her foot steps we could really make a difference. Not just by raising awareness but as Dallas mentioned healthy food would be more available. We talked about in class earlier this year about eating healthy and if it should be a right, responsibility, or privilege and I believe this backyard farming is a great solution, we just need to start doing it in larger cities such as our own. The world we live in is very busy though, not many people have the time or even want to build and grow a garden/farm in their backyard but anything can make a difference! This is awesome!
I think that Stacy’s plan for farming is a great and revolutionary one. Like Jackson said earlier it is a great idea to farm on unused land. The earth is full of land that is currently serving no real purpose other than just being present. With this type of farming we can surely increase food distribution and provide healthier food for others. Not only will it do the above things, it will, like others have said increase awareness and provide others with a greater knowledge of farming. Imagine if most everyone had the common knowledge over how to farm. It would create an extraordinary world and possibly some of the problems that are currently an issue would disappear. Stacy’s plan is just one positive step forward in the long journey towards a more green planet.
I think what Stacy is doing is such a great idea. Not only is it helping out the environment by living more sustainably and “green”, but it is also helping out the people. BK Farmyards benefits the people in many ways. Not only does it provide healthier eating options, but it saves money and provides many people with jobs. What Stacy is doing is very smart because she is taking land that is not being used and turning it into land that can ultimately have a huge impact on society. If more people can follow Stacy’s lead, we have an amazing opportunity to help out ourenvironment nationwide.
Environmental caring is good for everybody, so stacy is doing great jop.
I agree with Abby and Catherine I think that this is a great idea. Farming would help alot especially with economy the way that it is. It would help people save money and provide more jobs. This would also help people eat healthier and it would feed more people. And this way more people can afford what they are eating. Not only does this help the enviornment but it provides so much more than just sustainablity.
It actually might help environment, seeing that hopefully people will buy seed from the local store rather than from some massive seed supplier who uses genetically modified seeds. So who knows maybe by growing our food we wont have to use as much pesticides because its at such a small scale level and we can watch and attend our plants with out using the things that harm our environment. And lastly I agree with Iimaan Yussuf, your doing a great job Stacy!!!!
Stacy seems to be someone who really cares about the environment that is actually doing something about her beliefs. I think that she is an inspirational person in the sense that she brought a great idea to the table that was not easy to complete, and went about achieving the idea and making it a reality. Furthermore, the more attention her cause gets, people will begin to look at empty unused land and see potential rather than desolation. This idea could be the start of something real big.
I agree with you about how Stacy’s project will make people who see it be more susceptible to looking at unused land with a different view. Hopefully, this could apply to construction companies that may see that land as space for a new housing development which would cause them to lay out the land with regards to larger backyards. Maybe they could even partner with Stacy and encourage new buyers to begin their very own backyard garden with some help.
I definitely think that once other people start to see her success and how she is changing the surrounding communities, that they too will want to start their own gardening businesses. A nother great influence that all these gardens in NYC is the one that they can have on children that grow up eating from their gardens in their backyards. Stacy can be the spark that is needed in New York City that can change a whole new generation to become more sustainable people.
Yeah that would be a great possibilty and I hope something like that becomes a reality. As you mentioned, this would impact younger generations to come and this type of influence is really needed epecially when you think about how hard it will be for agriculture to keep up with increasing population size. Now if someone could create a way to ensure there will be sanitized water for the growing population, that would solve a lot of problems!
Stacy is doing her part, now it is time to do ours. She is living green to the fullest with her productivity in her backyard. She has an amazing produce of crops and is doing what she should do by persuading others to do the same. Although others may think this is a great idea but cannot find the time and day to consider this, they could contact Stacy and let her know they have land for her to use. I agree that unutilized land should be put to use for further farming crops. By farming and growing crops means less fossil fuels are being used and a greener society is being put into prospective. Lastly, I agree with Elianah when she says starting out little could domino to more and more successful backyard farms. Starting out small is better than not starting anything at all. People fail to see that one person can make a differece as Stacy has shown.
I think what Stacy and her team is doing is incredible. Like Abby said she is taking unused land and turning it into land that can have a positive effect on the environment and the people within it. Also it could help stop the unhealthy eating habits many people have by making the produce affordable. Not to mention the fact it will help raise awareness about farming and environmental issues, like chris first said. As of now it has a small scale effect, but I believe if Stacy and her team’s work becomes wide spread and followed it can have a major impact.
I think Stacy’s idea of putting to use unused land into something that can have a great impact in our environment is very smart. It has many great benefits to it, such as helping the environment with healthier eating and providing jobs for people of all ages. However, I think it will be hard to get all people that have unused land to give it up to Stacy because they are not as interested in the environment as she is. But, all the unused land Stacy can get will make the difference. As Stacy’s organization continues to grow, people will begin to notice and will be willing to take part.
I think that these small steps are great! Even though there isn’t much available land or space to do something drastic, baby steps are good. And Stacy is raising awareness by doing her urban farming which can have just as strong of an influence as the actual farming. Using the land for good rather than putting it to waste is a great idea!
Larson is right Small steps is the key to make this garden correctly. Little steps will ensure that every detail is correct and thouroughly. And it will ease everyone into it alot easier. Most people dont take to change in big doses I think that if small steps were taken the vast majority would take to the idea alot better than if it were introduced in bigger doses. It just takes some people awhile to accept change. I think this Garden is a great idea and it will very productive and help alot.
Both Larson and Arden make really good points, small steps are the key when trying to create a long lasting impact on the environment. Stacy is doing exactly that, small steps which will lead to great things. When someone is pressed to do something that requires an extreme amount of effort to get to a goal, it isn’t any fun. Stacy is doing these small steps in order to make this task a little easier and a little bit more fun, while at the same time establishing something great.
Mason, your point about how Stacy is making small steps to create an impact really makes sense. If the majority of people began finding time and effort to garden in their backyard, who knows what the next step could be. Maybe from there, people could set up community gardens that every neighbor takes a part in. This would even lead to a friendlier and close-knit neighborhood which is always encouraged. If the majority of a neighborhood could begin their own backyard gardens, who knows what the possibilities will lead to.
This is amazing! She’s starting a mini-revolution! New York City is such a HUGE place with very little green space, and the last thing I think of when in the city is nature, let alone a garden that can be grown in your non-existing backyard. She’s very ambitious to take on such a project and the awareness she is raising is truly admirable. She also incorporates the education part of things by planting the garden for you. Cool idea!
Do you guys realize how much time goes in to growing your own food? I’ve personally try to grow some flowers before and attended to them fairly often, and they died… I know that personally I do not have time take care of a garden and I don’t have a full time job. I totally think that its a great idea for us to grow our own food, but if people get any spare time in their lives they probably don’t want to spend it gardening…
Except for those that enjoy gardening and do it already. It really doesn’t take so much extra time to care for a garden. There are a bunch of different factors that could have attributed to your dead flower, and I think the least of which is the amount of care you gave to it. If you had a garden outside (which I understand a lot of people in New York would not be able to do) than it would mostly take care of itself, and a person would only need to water it when rain wouldn’t do the trick. Gardening is easier than everyone makes it out to be, especially if you buy things prepackaged in small planting pots like I do.
Zander your flower planting skills are unbelievable! But I agree with Paul, I mean the majority of people truly just do not have enough time to worry about watering seeds especially when they have their own kids to worry about feeding. This just goes to show that tending to a garden in one’s free time isn’t very ideal for either the person or the plant. For those people who do have enough time, however, would make great candidates for a home project such as Stacy’s and I encourage them to try it. So for a project like this to go into full effect in busy cities like New York, I would say it is very unlikely, maybe places like suburbs would be more ideal.
I appreciate it Holly. Rarely do people appreciate my green thumb the way you seem to. But seriously, even if people just took ten minutes out of every day to care for a plant, than it would probably be a successful venture. Almost every person in America has at least ten minutes. Most people set aside an hour every night just to watch some TV . . . So maybe people could water their flowers during commercials.
That’s a really good idea but what about people who can only tend to plants at night whe they need to be watered in the daytime? If they could pick their own produce that requires less handling from a person like you or me, then I believe that will solve many of these issues of not finding enough time. Once this happens and people start to realize the possibilities of working around their schedule to make time for gardening, then I believe society as a whole can begin to grasp the idea of potentially growing their own food.
I’m not sure of any plants that can only absorb water during the day. They don’t sleep, so I don’t think there’s a specific time needed to water a plant. I still stand to my point. If everyone picked up small-time gardening, there would be few people that would fail at the venture as long as they gave at least ten minutes each day to their plant. The misconception that gardening is a time-consuming idea is mostly an incorrect one. For small amounts of plants, the handling is really very simple.
Like Paul, I’ve had my fair share of plant failures. I’m willing to try again! If everyone had even a small farm/garden in their backyard or roof, imagine how much produce could be produced!
The excess food could be sold or given to friends and neighbors, and there wouldn’t be as much of a need to buy produce from supermarkets. If people were willing to try this idea, I think it would work. I know I would be willing to!
BK Farmyards also has started a “chicken and eggs” program as well as honey bees. (Both awesome ideas)
To a certain extent, I agree with this. I know that I do not enjoy gardening that much and definitely do not have a “green thumb” so this is probably not for me. However, I think it is a step in the right direction and will help people to understand that excess land can be used for environmental benefits rather than just putting up more skyscrapers or houses.
Do you really think that they need to necessarily do it themselves? Isn’t it possible to have a contact that lives out of New York City that grows food for a small group of people that live in the city. I know that is not what Stacy is doing it at all, but would it be worth it to fund a farmer to grow your food for you? You would be getting all natural food, and supporting local farming! It seems like it would be a win-win situation! And that way people who want to live in the city can still live in the city without having to feel like they are growing their own food out in the country.
I think gardening is made out to be harder than it really is. You may not think you have a “green thumb”, but people aren’t born with the natural ability to garden. If you actually decided you wanted to have a garden with fresh produce, I feel like anyone with enough land could make that goal a reality.
Using excess land and the roofs of building for gardens is in my opinion an excellent idea.
Each small garden does make a difference but I do see Holly’s point. It is hard for this project to make a huge impact unless it is a worldwide tradition. I think that if Stacy wanted to grow her project to include more of the world she should consider community gardens. That way certain people can specialize in tending to and dispersing the garden for a specific community of people, with this larger gardens could be maintained and hopefully survive and kind of factor such as rodents. Also other articles can be applied to this concept, for example people in “vertical forest” apartments would have the ability to have a garden and people in rough climates could utilize aquaponics.
Maybe it can become a worldwide tradition. Everything has to start somewhere and even though this is just a few people in one city on a small piece of land, it could become something more. I know that not many people would think of using excess land for farming, but if the message is spread that we can truly make a difference to the environment by doing this, they would probably listen.
I think think is such a good idea! This kind of thing will attract many people because it’s very hard to find a job right now. And that leads to more people being aware about how to be sustainable and to be eco-friendly. I also like this a lot because many people won’t do this kind of thing, like transforming their backyard, because they are simply too lazy and it is too much work. With Stacy and her team coming and doing it for you, it solves that problem. If more people were aware of this, they would realize that there is a better way to utilize extra space outside at their home. This could also be a step in solving the problem of contaminated foods because people come to your house and plant a garden like then and you don’t really have to worry about if where your food comes from is safe or not because it’s in your own backyard. I definitely think that BK Farmyards would be very successful if it went nationwide with its idea.
I think this is a great idea to help people to become more sustainable. If people are willingly to use their own backyards for gardens rather than swimming pools and other entertainment sort of things I think this has a real shot at becoming big. Her company is doing more then just planting gardens in people backyards, but also spreading awareness about the food process and how far people’s food travels to supermarkets and before they actually eat their food. The only problem I see with this is trying to get everyone on board with this because not everyone is going to be interested in taking care of a garden. However this could be a plus and could possibly create more jobs for our economy if the lazy people are willing to pay people to garden for them. I do think the backyard gardens have a chance to change how people get their food in a more healthy, sustainable way.
I agree with Fallon. I think this will attract alot of people and it does provide jobs and they are very difficult to find right now. The gardening is also good because it is in the backyard. Very convinetinent. With stacey and her crew doing it all for everyone it makes things alot easier. Stacey is doing a wonderful thing she is helping the enviornment and helping the people that she is gardening for. She is also creating awareness and making gardeing fun and accessable for everyone.
I think we have all established that this is a good idea, it helps the environment, this is living sustainably, using land for this purpose is good, etc. What we need to consider now is how we can further expand this great idea and implement it in other ways. Could we do something at Parish like this? Since there is plenty of land in Dallas and the surrounding areas, what could we do there? I just think we need to move beyond the “oh this is really cool” stage and actually think about it. Anyone have any ideas?
I think this is defiantly something that could be done at Parish. Parish has a lot of extra land out by the creek that is currently not being used. I think it would be a great idea, and would look good, if Parish started this up.
Parish should definitely start this up! We all should look at what Stacy has done, she’s had the courage to step out in her community and try to make a difference. We cant just talk about making a difference but actually start acting. Parish has so much extra land, perfect for a garden/farm. Then hopefully whatever we grow could possibly be used in our cafeteria. Parish would not just be raising awareness but also helping our community become healthier.
Cameron, I think you bring up a really good point in that fact when are we going to actually move on past the stage of “oh that’s really cool” and actually do something and expand on the idea shown before us. I think it would be a great idea to do something like this at parish. Another idea I have is to maybe put these ideas into apartments complexes and have the gardens big enough for everyone in the complex to get their vegetable needs. That way it will be more convenient for them to just walk outside and get their food rather then driving all the way to the store. This is also great because they can actually trust this food because it was actually grown in their own backyard and wont have to worry about diseases or pesticides in them. Going back on what Cameron said earlier I think it is very important that more people start doing more creative things like this; rather than just standing back and admiring someone else’s ideas within that time you could come up with an idea that could build of that one and so forth.
This is incredible, so many people are going to great lengths in order to find these far fetched ways of solving the world’s problems. If we all would just look at what is infront we would all be much better off. Stacy has also thought logically- she knows that most people, unfortunately, aren’t going to spend their own time doing this to their own backyard. Stacy made her idea both accessible for people and created jobs in the process. Its a win-win situation all around!
I feel that Ms. Murphy is really an innovative mind that truly wants to make the world a better place! She is creating sustainable environments in people’s own backyards. That’s incredible that she can make such a difference, and the most impressive thing about it is that it’s not just a one or two of them, she is managing many more. I would definitely like to hire somebody like Stacy to come plant a garden on my land if I wasn’t using it for anything.
Although Murphy’s idea is good, many people have capitalized on this idea as well. There are farmer’s markets all around town, and not taking away from Murphy, but I feel like it is kind of inevitable for something like this to happen, especially in New York. Since New York is such a big place, there is bound to be someone who is willing to start such a garden. This idea really hits home the 100 mile diet, as Mr. Cohen has told us about in class. Basically, when I think about what I eat, when I am thinking about where it came from, it could be from anywhere around the world, and so with this local and accessible garden, it truly helps excess pollution to transportation, and makes the food healthier because there are no chemicals on it to keep them preserved.
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Sarah, that’s a really good point you made about pollution. I hadn’t even thought of the fact that this spreads beyond providing food. It prevents pollution and the more this grows the more pollution we can prevent. Especially in economic times like now its nice to know that there are jobs being created. Especially ones that are so helpful to the world!
I think it’s amazing what people can do when they simply grow their own food. Your backyard can be such a productive place, but many people choose not to take advantage of it (for legitimate reasons and not). Growing your own crops can bring many benefits. First, you save lots of money. You don’t have to spend money of gasoline to drive to the grocery store and back. You also don’t have to spend money on buying the crops. The only thing you have to buy are the seeds which are generally pretty inexpensive. What Ms. Murphy has done is inspiring, and hopefully her ideas will continue to spread across the nation and the world.
I see some of the pictures with yard(s) filled with vegetable beds, and think that is to much. Not that the planting of produce is bad, but for me, I want a back yard that I can stretch out in, Unfortunately, I am not a city boy at heart, I want a few acres where I can have my yard, and my large garden (and a shop and garage where I can build things maybe a car).
My next thought is about having strange people coming into my yard to harvest the foods I have offered. I realize I have to give permission for this to happen, but MY SPACE.
This is a good idea for those who can accept the “loss” of a few square feet to all of their yard. Where it not for the above statement, I would even offer my front yard. Being Southeast of Houston I can grow a good variety of stuff nearly year round.
Seeing this post and I am reminded of the article about “How Big of a Backyard Would You Need…?”
This is a really neat post. This idea of making unused land enviromentally useful is somthing that I also agree can help make a huge difference in peoples everyday lives. However, I also believe that the “unused” land in our country, let alone planet, is so sparse right now. People keep trying to use it up to their benefit. I understand that Stacy’s idea is really benefitting the country we also have to be realistic in what our earth is capable of right now. There isn’t much space left considereing how much there was when America was first foudned. If we can take land that is being used and essentially wasted, and replace it with Stacy’s ideas then that is the direction I think we should head towards.
One thing that really caught my attention in the video was when Stacy said “I think the people that come to me are already interested in sustainability issues, and they’ve discovered where their food comes from and they’re appalled by the miles that it’s traveled or they’re appalled by the pesticides that have been used and they don’t know where to go so they come to us for information.” I think this shows that, while it may not be on a large scale, information such as Food Inc. and Jamie Oliver’s Ted Talks are reaching people and sparking change in a multitude of places. While the impact may be minimal now, I can see it picking up over time. Another notable thing Stacy said was “I want to be an instigator and connect people who want to do these things (outdoor farming) and I’ll do anything to make it happen.” Stacy realizes that a community centered around sustainable living is, in fact, possible.