Raymond Figueroa Jr

URBAN AGRICULTURE AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT BACKGROUND:

Ray has served as an urban agriculture consultant and advisor to foundations, government, non-profit organizations, and publications, including, but not limited to the following: a) joint publication of the environmental law firm, EARTHJUSTICE, and the NEW YORK CITY COMMUNITY GARDEN COALITION: From the Ground Up – A Petition to Protect New York City’s Community Gardens; b) the Tri-State Community Food Funders; c) the National Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders; d) NEW Y0RK CITY CITY MAYOR’S OFFICE, Urban Agriculture Task Force; e) NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL, Report: “FoodWorks: A Vision to Improve New York City’s Food System: Accomplishments and New Ideas”; f) WE STAY / NOS QUEDAMOS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION: strategic planning partner of a Community Land Trust (CLT) in the South Bronx; g) the MOTT HAVEN/PORT MORRIS COMMUNITY LAND STEWARDS: member of the CLT Board of Directors also in the South Bronx; h) MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE of TECHNOLOGY (MIT), Department of Urban Studies and Planning, Community Innovators Lab (MIT CoLab): Seeing from the Field – Community Development series in the city and regional planning publication, MIT CoLab Radio article: “Growing Community, Gardens, and Land Trusts: Raymond Figueroa, Jr. in the South Bronx” i) DESIGN TRUST for PUBLIC SPACE, Report: “Five Borough Farm: Seeding the Future of Urban Agriculture in New York City”; and j) the UNIVERSITY of GEORGIA Press – Geographies of Justice and Social Transformation series: “Beyond the Kale: Urban Agriculture and Social Justice Activism in New York City” by Nevin Cohen and Kristin Reynolds.
SELECTED GRANTS:

Ray is the recipient of PAR (Participatory Action Research) grants from: a) NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT of HEALTH and MENTAL HYGIENE: joint recipient with CUNY GRADUATE CENTER – MICRO FOOD HUB Project; b) the NATIONAL ACADEMY of MEDICINE [formerly the INSTITUTE of MEDICINE of the NATIONAL ACADEMIES]: Health Literacy and Nutrition Mapping of Food Marketing to Youth; and c) COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, INSTITITE for SOCIAL and ECONOMIC RESEARCH and POLICY: The Built Environment and Health Project – Identifying New Sites for Community Gardens by Combining GIS Analysis and Site Alternative Field Surveys.
SELECTED AWARDS:

Ray is the recipient of the following awards: a) the CORNELL UNIVERSITY, INSTITUTE for COMMUNITY and RURAL DEVELOPMENT: Innovator Award [Co-Recipient] and b) the NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL 2014 New York City Grassroots Environmental Advocate of the Year Award; CURRENT

PRACTICE:

Ray is a co-founder of the MICRO FOOD HUBs initiative. He is a Taconic Faculty Fellow – Critical Environmental Areas Project -with the PRATT CENTER FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. He is co-founder and director of Alternatives-to-Incarceration initiatives at the BROOK PARK Youth Farm. Ray is president of the NEW YORK CITY COMMUNITY GARDEN COALITION.

CORNELL UNIVERSITY – COLLEGE OF HUMAN ECOLOGY