Eating locally, in two senses of the word, in New York

This story by Sarah Kramer of the New York Times is about an intersection of rural with urban-- or at least an intersection of the agricultural with the urban. Below is an excerpt of the story about Agustín Juárez, 49. With his family, he farms 1.5 acres on the North Shore of Staten Island. Juarez is among 140 Hispanic immigrants in NYC who were sponsored by the New Farmer Development Program. Only 18 of them are still farming today.

For generations, immigrants from around the globe have turned little corners of New York into an approximation of the countries they left behind. Since 2001, Mr. Juárez has been following in their footsteps. He is maintaining the traditions of the small farming town in southern Mexico where he grew up, and providing an anchor to home for some of the city’s quarter-million Mexican immigrants.

But the farm is not Mr. Juárez's only job. In addition to the 20 hours/week he spends there, he works 60 in an Italian restaurant on the island.

Read the full story here.