Community Garden Leadership Program Information Session - June 16

June 16, 2025


The Community Garden Leadership Program is an online program that prepares individuals to enhance their leadership skills to strengthen community gardens throughout New York State. You will learn management best practices and operational skills, including:

• Community Engagement
• Building Dynamic Leadership Teams
• Volunteer Management
• Navigating Local Policy
• Communication Strategy
• Record Keeping
• Fundraising and Budgeting
• Succession Planning

It is a year-long program requiring participants to meet as a cohort each month and connect with experienced professional, subject matter experts, and faculty to foster a supportive distance learning experience.

To learn more about the program, we are offering virtual informational sessions in June! See our event calendar to sign up for the one of the other dates.

June 4, 2025  |  4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

June 12, 2025  |  6:00 PM - 7:00 PM

June 16, 2025  |  12:00 noon - 1:00 PM

Urban Farming from the Ground Up

July 2, 2026
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Bronx, NY

Join CCE Harvest NY Specialist, Karen Guzman, to turn a community center into an urban farm! This is an open volunteer event, join us! 

Urban Agroforestry Summit

July 14, 2026
9:30 AM - 3:30 PM
New York, NY

Learn and network with urban agroforestry practitioners, service providers and city government partners on ways to scale agroforestry in NYC

Join the Cornell Small Farms Program and Harvest New York for the first annual NYC Urban Agroforestry Summit. Begin the day by learning from invited speakers who will explore the evolution, current landscape, and future potential of agroforestry within New York City's food systems and urban forestry initiatives.

Community Gardens Soil Testing Program Accepting Applications

Soil testing supports the growth and expansion of community gardens by protecting the health and safety of the food produced in these gardens. CCE Harvest NY, in partnership with the NYS Department of Agriculture & Markets (AGM) and the Cornell Soil Health Lab, is offering eligible, food-producing gardens in New York State the opportunity to send soil samples for testing without charge.

The soil test will analyze samples for heavy metals and nutrient levels. Test results help gardeners make appropriate plans to produce high quality fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Technical support and education for participating growers will be available from the CCE Harvest New York team. Learn more about the 2026 Community Gardens Soil Testing Program.