Kristy Apostolides

Kristy Apostolides

Farm to School Coordinator, Lower Hudson Valley

phone 845-429-7085 x106


Kristy Apostolides has twenty years international experience in local food systems and sustainable agriculture, with skills ranging from organic vegetable production and field research to program development and volunteer management. As a consultant, she advocates for local farms and regional food systems by organizing educational meetings between farmers and public officials, event planning, curriculum development, grant-writing, academic and project-based research, has taught workshops and given presentations in both professionally and academically oriented conferences and symposia in Europe and the US. She has grown and supported farmers' markets, CSAs, and small- to mid-sized farms through strategic planning, branding, and promotion and is excited to expand her experience beyond the retail market to working with schools in the lower Hudson Valley. She has a BSc in Plant Sciences from Cornell University and a MSc in Sustainable Agriculture from the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania (MAICh).

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Upcoming Events

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.

Announcements

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.