Oko Farms

@okofarms

Urban Farming, Education, and Environmental Stewardship in Brooklyn, NY. #FarmersGrowMoreThanFood
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Aquaponics 101 with @pbsterra @pbsds @womenoftheearthseries by @chiarahollender 💚 If you want to learn more, here are a few key dates to take note of: - August 5: 5-10 minute Flash Tours - get a quick meet and greet with our fish and the different plants we’re growing. - August 19: Introduction to Aquaponics Workshop - a 1.5 hour class that will leave you with a foundational knowledge of this agricultural method. Visit okofarms.org to sign up!
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8 months ago
Thanks for this great coverage written by Sophia Herring @sopherring for @guardian . A special thank you to Professor Becca Frank at @nyu for her incredible contribution to our fish cultivation practice.
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6 months ago
Celebrating 10 years of Oko Farms! 🥳 To mark this exciting milestone, we are asking our community to help us reach our fundraising goal of $100,000 in the next 3 weeks. Your contribution will strengthen Oko Farms’ impact and ensure our longevity in carrying out our mission to increase food security and mitigate the impact of climate change through aquaponics farming. Learn more and support us via /okofarms10year or through our link in bio.
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5 months ago
This winter, the farm team traveled to Xochimilco, Mexico City to visit the ancient chinampas - small, stationary, artificial island built on a freshwater lake for agricultural purposes. They were created by dredging soil from the bottom of the lake to build beds and anchoring them using willow trees. It was a wonderful experience to visit one of the original versions of aquaponics farming and meet the Indigenous folks who still farm the land. We were hosted by Humedalia A.C (@humeldia.ac ), an organization dedicated to the conservation and restoration of the wetlands of Mexico. We took a boat ride on Lake Xochimilco and learned about the history of the chinampas; its contemporary environmental impact; the various birds and other creatures that inhabit the area, various crops being cultivated; and the efforts to restore the original aquatic inhabitants - ajolote (native salamander). They also treated to a meal, snacks and drinks made with produce from the land. We are grateful to our incredible tour guides for the wonderful experience and look forward to sharing what we learned through our various aquaponics workshops and tours. Link in bio for 2024 tours and workshops.
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1 day ago
GROUP FARM TOURS AND AQUAPONICS EDUCATIONS WORKSHOPS ARE NOW OPEN FOR REGISTRATION 🌸 Farm Tours: Our guided tour will introduce participants to aquaponics and all of the various biological components that make up our farm. The tours take place from May - November and are open to groups of 5-30 people. 🐟 6-Week Aquaponics Intensive: Participants will leave with the skills to develop and maintain sustainable aquaponics operations of various sizes along with the capacity to engage the public on the diverse topics relating to aquaponics, fish welfare, and ecosystem sustainability. The first session is on April 13. 🍃 Introduction To Aquaponics Workshops: Participants will tour our farm and leave with a foundational knowledge of aquaponics and engage in a hands-on activity. This workshop takes place every 3rd Saturday of the month from May - November. Secure your spot via okofarms.org/visit today!
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8 days ago
Along with growing cotton and learning how to harvest and spin it into thread, we have been conducting research on cotton from an environmental and cultural perspective. To share what we have learned, we are debuting a four-part blog series on cotton’s history and the integral role it has played in shaping our lives today.  This first blog explores the rich, ancient history of cotton in five different regions of the world - India, West Africa, the Islamic Empire and Central and South America. READ THE FULL BLOG POST THROUGH THE LINK IN OUR BIO.
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24 days ago
As the only publicly accessible and outdoor aquaponics farm in New York City, we engage a diverse range of people by exposing them to the powerful potential of urban aquaponics farming. Our farm is an urban oasis that features a wide variety of vegetables, herbs, and flowers growing in water alongside freshwater fish in a recirculating ecosystem that conserves water. In 2023, we provided the community with various farm tours, aquaponics education workshops, culinary classes, wellness activities, arts, and other curated programs. ACCESS THE FULL IMPACT REPORT THROUGH OUR LINK IN BIO. In case you missed it, we also have a blog dedicated to our work and research on the Clothing Restoration Project. Check it out at /blog-series.
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27 days ago
In 2022, The Oko Farms Clothing Restoration Project, funded by @creativesrebuildny , selected cotton as our fiber of choice for cultivation and processing. Cotton is perhaps humanity’s most significant agricultural product. It facilitated European global domination via colonization and the trans-atlantic slave trade. Today, cotton integrated into every aspect of our lives - we sleep in it and sleep on it, wear it on our feet, use it to treat wounds, cleanse our skin and so many other daily applications. It is quite literally the fabric of our lives. In November 2022, we invited the community to a hands-on workshop and discussion on the global and historical impact of the cotton. We captured the event on film and included it as part of our CRP YouTube series. Go to our linktr.ee in bio to watch The Tactile: Cotton Seeds, Conversations, and Global Connections.
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1 month ago
The Clothing Restoration Project: West African Women as Masters of Indigo In this episode, we explore the integral role of West African Women as masters of indigo cultivation, processing, and dyeing techniques and how they contributed to indigo industrialization in the Americas through the transatlantic slave trade. Nadia sees her work at Couleur Indigo as impactful because the story of her ancestors does not end with the trauma of slavery. Instead, she chooses to honor and preserve the centuries old tradition by making it accessible to the younger generation, both through keeping dyeing practices and education alive and through creating new vocations. The proliferation of chemical dyes and textile waste seen in modern industrial indigo clothing production is antithesis to traditional West African  lifestyle and culture.  Her motivation is to demonstrate a more environmentally-friendly method for dyeing that is steeped in tradition and honors West African history and culture while ensuring “a touch of modernity.” Watch the full video through our linktr.ee in bio.
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1 month ago
The Oko Farms Clothing Restoration Project explores the preservation of natural dye and fiber materials derived from West African and Southeast Asian traditions as a solution to the wasteful and environmentally harmful clothing industry.  The CRP team has put together a series on cotton that showcases cotton production and processing at our aquaponics farm; our field research in West Africa and Southeast Asia; and the examination of our ancient and contemporary relationship with this ancient plant. This week, we’ve released a video that features Kenn Pan (Artist in Residence) and their work both participating in the cultivation of cotton on the farm and leading a community workshop series on the slow craft of cotton processing by hand. Watch the full Cotton Cultivation + Processing at Oko Farms video through the linktr.ee in our bio. Thanks to @creativesrebuildny for funding this project.
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1 month ago
The Oko Farms team has dedicated the past few months away from the farm to reflect on our activities over the previous year and prepare for the upcoming farming season. As part of this reflection, we have compiled our achievements from 2023 to share with you. In 2023, we made significant progress towards our goal of enhancing food security and offering aquaponics farming education to New York City residents. We owe these accomplishments to the passionate Oko Farms staff and board members. Their hard work, vision, and unwavering dedication are the foundation upon which Oko Farms thrives. VIEW THE FULL IMPACT REPORT THROUGH OUR LINK IN BIO.
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1 month ago
We’ve declared 2024 as the year of fish at Oko Farms. Thanks to Chef Russell Markus, we kicked off our year of fish with our first ever farm-to-table fundraising dinner featuring our fish on Tuesday, January 30th. It was a magical night filled with plenty of conversation, laughter and joy of community! Thank you to all of our guests who made the night truly special. We could not have executed such a special event without our host @russellmarkus . Thank you for honoring the beauty of our Mirror Carp, for all the thought that went into each menu item, and for welcoming us into your home! A special thank you to Alex, Susan, Caroline and Rhadika for supporting Chef Russell in the kitchen and with service; @emily_galvelis for photography, and DJ’s @princeamumusic and @sharincanta . A huge thank you to our in-kind contributors - @eggrestaurant , @farm.one , @vinewinenyc , @taleabeer , @otherhalfnyc , and @onelovecommunityfridge . A very special shout out to the incredible Oko Farms team - @srperlmeter , @joroseno , @christelle.torres , and @annaqtong . Your rock! Lastly, thank you to the best trivia game co-creator + facilitator @stephyawa .
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1 month ago