CUCE-NYC food access program wins MarketMaker award

June 24, 2014

Khin Mar Cho with Gary Matteson

Cornell University Cooperative Extension New York City (CUCE-NYC) received the 2014 Farm Credit MarketMaker Innovation Award for New York for their Faith-Based Food Hubs Program. The program connects NYC Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs) to over 2,000 farms in the state, increasing community access to healthy food and providing new, urban markets for farmers. The program also benefits soup kitchens and food pantries.

Dr. Khin Mar Cho, Senior Extension Associate at CUCE-NYC accepted the award from Gary Matteson, Vice President of Young, Beginning, Small Farmer Programs and Outreach at MarketMaker. Dr. Khin noted,

Our experience during 2013 indicates that this is a viable approach to creating new urban markets for New York farmers in New York City and could be replicated in other New York State urban areas. Part of the attraction is its simplicity. Once established, these 'Food Hubs' should be self-maintaining without external funding, and the market place will maintain itself...

CUCE NYC, Khin Mar Cho, wins MarketMaker Award - College of Human Ecology