LaGuardia Community College Hosts Grand Opening of Finca La Florecita (Little Flower Farm)

Event Date: Wednesday, October 30, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Location: Greenspace behind LaGuardia’s C-Building, 47^th Avenue between 29^th and 30^th Streets, Long Island City, Queens

LONG ISLAND CITY, NY (October 23, 2024) — LaGuardia Community College/CUNY proudly announces the grand opening of Finca La Florecita (Little Flower Farm), a new urban farm and research center on campus. Join us on Wednesday, October 30, for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and remarks from elected officials at 11 a.m., and hands-on workshops led by LaGuardia faculty and community-based organizations, in flower pressing and dyeing, farm tasting, botanical illustration, soil building, indigenous agricultural wisdom, and pollinator protection, from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m.

Finca La Florecita is a collaborative project spearheaded by Dr. Preethi Radhakrishnan, professor and director of LaGuardia’s Environmental Science Program, and departments throughout the college. Finca La Florecita is a research and learning space for aspiring urban farmers and gardeners—offering students hands-on experience in sustainable agriculture.

La Finca supports the LaGuardia CARES food pantry, providing the pantry with fresh produce, addressing food insecurity among students and the local community.

Since May, Sustainable Urban Agriculture students have cultivated the farm, building and installing raised garden beds and planting seedlings grown in LaGuardia’s Hydroponic Research Lab. La Finca has yielded a variety of produce, including tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and leafy greens. Students choose the crops, fostering community engagement and cultural relevance. They also learn about seed saving, composting, and sustainable farming practices.

Through La Finca, students are introduced to careers in urban farming, such as compost project manager and soil scientist. Each semester, three students receive $2,000 stipends to work as farm fellows, helping to tend and maintain La Finca.

Finca La Florecita currently includes a compost program and a high tunnel greenhouse, where produce will be grown year-round, extending the growing season for year-round, in-ground gardening. It will soon feature a rainwater harvesting system, a sensory garden for children in LaGuardia’s on-campus daycare, and fruit-bearing trees. The farm aims to be a vibrant, year-round educational and community space with benches and shade areas.

Curriculum and internships at La Finca are supported by a ⁠$250,000 USDA Hispanic-Serving Institutions grant (no. 2021-77040-34874) awarded in 2021 to Dr. Radhakrishnan. Farm equipment was purchased with anonymous philanthropic support.

WHAT:
Grand Opening of Finca La Florecita, the new urban farm educational and research lab at LaGuardia Community College

WHERE:
LaGuardia Community College
Greenspace behind the college’s C-Building, on 47^th Avenue between 29^th and 30^th Streets

WHEN:
Wednesday, October 30, 11 a.m. (recommended arrival for attendees is 10:45 a.m.)

EVENT SCHEDULE:

11 a.m. Welcoming Remarks; Ribbon-Cutting; Photos

12:30 p.m. – 2 p.m. Concurrent Workshops Led by LaGuardia Faculty Members and Community-Based Organizations

Workshop 1: Flower Pressing / Dyeing Workshop

• Led by Dr. Preethi Radhakrishnan, using marigolds grown at La Finca.
• Participants learn flower pressing and natural dyeing techniques.

Workshop 2: Farm Tasting using Farm Produce

• Led by Dr. Nicolle Fernandes, chair of the Community Health and Wellness Department, which facilitates the Nutrition and Culinary Management major.
• A farm-to-table tasting experience using fresh farm produce.

Workshop 3: Botanical Illustration

• Led by Dr. Jessica Boehman, Fine Arts Professor (Humanities)
• A hands-on botanical illustration session for participants to capture the beauty of the farm’s flora.

Workshop 4: Building Soils

• Led by Chelsea Encababian, Lecturer, Sustainable Urban Agriculture Track, with assistance from soil science students.
• Participants will learn about practical soil-building techniques—including vermicomposting—focusing on sustainability and soil health.

Workshop 5: Pollinator Partners: Explore, Identify, Protect

• Led by Dr. Allie Brashears and Dr. Benjamin J. Taylor from Natural Sciences.
• Educational exploration on the importance of pollinators and how to protect them (building bug hotels!).

Workshop 6: “The Three Sisters”; Honoring Indigenous Agricultural Wisdom

• Led by COPAL (Cultivating Opportunity, Peace, and Leadership).
• An introduction to the “Three Sisters,” a term for the trio of corn, beans, and squash, which hold significant cultural importance in Indigenous traditions. These crops are traditionally grown together in a symbiotic agricultural system, exemplifying interdependence, cooperation, and sustainability. Participants will receive prompts to creatively express these lessons, whether through writing a short poem, drawing a representation of the crops, or composing a simple song inspired by the themes of community and balance.

Workshop 7: Dream Catchers & Marigold Chains for Día de los Muertos

• Led by CREAR Futuros and Casa de las Américas at LaGuardia.
• In honor of Día de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead), participants will create dream catchers and use flor de muerto (marigolds) harvested from La Finca to craft beautiful garlands that celebrate the vibrant cultural traditions of the LatinX community. Marigolds are believed to guide the spirits of the deceased back to the world of the living, symbolizing remembrance and the beauty of life and death.

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LaGuardia Community College (LAGCC), a Hispanic-Serving Institution, located in Long Island City, Queens offers more than 50 associate degrees and academic certificates, and more than 65 continuing education programs to prepare New Yorkers for transfer to senior colleges and rewarding jobs and careers. An institution of the City University of New York (CUNY), the College reflects the legacy of our namesake, Fiorello H. LaGuardia, the former NYC mayor beloved for his advocacy of the underserved. Since 1971, LaGuardia’s academic programs and support services have advanced the socioeconomic mobility of students from Queens, NYC and beyond.

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