Farm is a joint effort by JetBlue and TERRA
By Diego Flammini, Farms.com
Of all the locations that a farm could be successful, it’s doubtful that many people would have an airport near the top of the list.
Nonetheless, airline JetBlue and TERRA have partnered to open the T5 Farm at Terminal 5 of John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
The farm is 24,000 square feet and will have 3000 crates of potatoes, herbs and other types of produce including arugula, beets, mint and basil.
It hopes to highlight New York farmers and the state’s agriculture as it grows nearly 1,000 pounds of blue potatoes, making it the first blue potato farm in the world.
"An airport seems like an unexpected place for a farming experiment, but what better way to explore JetBlue's role in the food cycle than to harvest right in our own back yard at JFK," said Sophia Mendelsohn, head of sustainability, JetBlue in a release. "Our customers expect T5 to offer them unique experiences. We know from our T5 Rooftop that people are drawn to light and green spaces, and they also have an inherent interest in understanding where their food comes from."
Produce from the T5 Farm will engage the community about the agricultural industry and help educate them and understand the processes needed to produce healthy food. The crops will be used in the terminal’s restaurants and some will be donated to local food banks.
"Northeast farmers produce some of the freshest, healthiest, tastiest food in the world, which is already available inside T5, and now outside: at the farm! It's an opportunity for us to educate all the travelers about where food comes from in an exciting, non-traditional setting,” said Marcel Van Ooyen, Executive Director of GrowNYC Partners, an organization that’s also lent its support to the cause.
Join the conversation and tell us your thoughts about JetBlue and TERRA opening a farm at an airport terminal. What other unique locations could a farm be maintained in?