Kwesi Joseph

Urban Gardens Specialist

cell 718-809-2781
email Kwesi

Areas of Interest
project management, garden design, rock dust, biochar, soil health and plant nutrient density

Kwesi Joseph helps communities across New York City's five boroughs grow healthy food and care for urban green spaces. With Cornell Cooperative Extension's Harvest New York team, he works with community gardeners, urban farmers, and educators to improve soil health, increase plant nutrient density, and tackle challenges in vegetable production.

Kwesi works with natural processes like soil remineralization, no-till gardening, and carbon sequestration. He conducted a trial using rock dust to boost soil fertility and carbon sequestration, and is developing a biochar project with Cornell faculty and community gardeners.

A Master Composter since 2016, Kwesi spent six years as the Compost Manager at the Hattie Carthan Community Garden in Brooklyn, where he ran workshops, processed food scraps, and trained volunteers. He has partnered with the Action Research Collaborative (ARC), Cornell University Cooperative Extension (CUCE), the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), Cornell's College of Architecture, Art, and Planning (AAP), and the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) to expand gardening, nutrition education, and land use projects for families in transitional housing and underserved neighborhoods.

His work has appeared on NY1, The Weather Channel, and WNYC Radio, and been covered by Gothamist and the Queens Ledger.

Kwesi holds a B.S. in Geology from York College, The City University of New York, an Executive MBA from Cornell's Johnson School of Business, and a Master Composter Certificate from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Compost Project.

EVENT CANCELLED: Soil Health 101 for Community Gardens -- A Bilingual Workshop

October 24, 2025
11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Staten Island, NY

EVENT CANCELLED: Join Urban Agriculture Specialists, Karen Guzman and Yolanda Gonzalez, as they discuss the importance of soil health and testing your soil as you prepare for the incoming growing season. They will go into strategies for best practices when it comes to soil health management and highlight the current soil testing program through NYSDAM and CCE. This workshop will be in both Spanish and English.

Biochar 101 for Community Gardens (Upper Manhattan)

October 25, 2025
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Upper Manhattan, NY

Join Karen Guzman and Dr. Rebecca Nelson of Cornell University, Bill Hilgendorf of White Feather Farm, and the NYRP Urban Ag team for a deep dive into biochar as a tool for waste management, carbon storage, and soil health in a community garden context. During this hands-on workshop, participants will have the chance to make biochar using garden waste and learn about best practices when applying it to a garden bed. Workshop attendees will all receive a small amount of biochar to take back to their garden.

Space is limited. Pre-registration required.

Biochar 101 for Community Gardens (Bronx)

October 26, 2025
11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Bronx, NY

Join Karen Guzman and Dr. Rebecca Nelson of Cornell University, alongside the NYRP Urban Ag team for a deep dive into biochar as a tool for waste management, carbon storage, and soil health in a community garden context. During this hands-on workshop, participants will have the chance to make biochar using garden waste and learn about best practices when applying it to a garden bed. Workshop attendees will all receive a small amount of biochar to take back to their garden.

Space is limited! Pre-registration is required.

New Produce Auctions in NYS!

With the opening of the new Augusta Produce Auction on August 19th, New York State now has 11 produce auctions! See the new map of produce auction locations across the state and contact information.

New York Urban Farms Sustainable Pest Management Fact Sheet Series

Cornell Cooperative Extension has partnered with dozens of urban farms across New York State to demonstrate and evaluate sustainable pest management strategies. Together with farmers, we found success using control methods that prevent or reduce crop losses through exclusion strategies, crop timing, host resistance, the introduction of beneficial organisms, and more. Regardless of management strategy used, common requirements for success include a knowledge of the pest and disease complex, preventative deployment and commitment to the process. The New York Urban Farms Sustainable Pest Management Fact Sheet Series includes case studies highlighting pest management techniques that New York urban farms have found valuable.