Sign the Letter to Protect New Jersey’s Urban Agriculture, Horticulture, Green Spaces, and Food Systems!

An open letter to:

• The Honourable William W. Spearman, Assemblyman, Chair, Commerce & Economic Development
• The Honourable Paul Sarlo, Chairman of Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee
• The Honourable Linda R. Greenstein, Vice-Chair of Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee
• The Honourable Assemblywoman Shanique Speight, Deputy Speaker of the Assembly and Chair of the Aging and Human Services Committee
• Committee Room 4, 1st Floor, State House Annex, Trenton, NJ

We, the undersigned, support Bill S4350/A4795, sponsored by Senator Shirley Turner and Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson, and authorize the Garden State Preservation Trust to encourage and expand urban agriculture throughout New Jersey. As organizations and individuals working in community gardens and urban agriculture sites, we support the protection and continued growth of this vital movement. Urban agriculture advances food security by helping residents grow their own fruits and vegetables, distribute produce to neighbors who struggle to access fresh food, and stretch household budgets — and when traditional supply chains falter during pandemics, economic shocks, or climate-related events, locally grown food keeps neighborhoods fed and resilient.

Just as importantly, urban agriculture restores food sovereignty, giving communities real control over how their food is grown, distributed, and shared. Instead of depending solely on large retailers and distant supply chains, residents gain a direct voice in what gets grown and how it reaches their tables. From Paterson and Newark to Trenton, Camden, Atlantic City, and beyond, New Jersey organizations are transforming underused urban spaces into thriving agricultural sites. We ask for your cosponsorship to help make that mission a lasting reality.

What the bill will do

• Create an Urban Agriculture Preservation Program: Allow the Garden State Preservation Trust to acquire urban land for agricultural and horticultural use through purchases, development easements, and conservation restrictions.
• Prioritize Small Urban Parcels: Establish eligibility criteria and an application process, with priority given to small parcels suitable for farming and horticulture.
• Lease Preserved Land for Farming: Allow State-owned land to be competitively leased to qualified parties for agricultural and horticultural purposes.
• Designate Urban Agriculture Areas: Require the Trust to identify urban areas based on population density, development, and land-use characteristics, and establish rules to implement the program.
• Dedicate Funding for Urban Agriculture: Create the Preserve New Jersey Urban Agriculture and Horticulture Fund, including an initial $25 million allocation and 5% of annual Preserve New Jersey Fund revenues thereafter.
• Fund Stewardship & Climate Resilience: Establish grants covering up to 90% of eligible project costs for soil health, climate resiliency, erosion control, and other stewardship activities.
• Support Land Acquisition & Administration: Allow fund resources to support land preservation, stewardship grants, and necessary administration, with administrative costs capped at 15%.
• Expand Local Open-Space Funding: Allow counties and municipalities to use their open-space trust funds to acquire and steward urban land for agricultural and horticultural purposes.