Food Is Medicine: Growing a New Generation of Future Farmers in NYC
Food is medicine.
For the team at Mi Oh My Farms, those three words are more than a slogan. They represent a way of thinking about food, health, education, community, and our relationship with the earth.
That’s why we’re so excited about a piece of wearable art inspired by the work happening every day at our urban farm in the South Bronx and in classrooms across New York City.
And this design is about much more than a shirt.
It’s about growing food, growing knowledge, and growing a generation of young people who understand that they have the power to nourish themselves, their communities, and the planet.
A Little Farm in the Bronx With a Big Vision
Our Bronx urban farm is a place where students can see that farming doesn't have to happen hundreds of miles away in a rural field.
Right here in New York City, we can grow food.
We can grow mushrooms and microgreens. We can explore hydroponics, vermi-composting and aquaponics. We can experiment with regenerative growing practices. We can learn about soil, water, nutrition, ecology, and the incredible systems that make food possible.
Our farm in the South Bronx has become a hands-on learning space where young people can get curious about where their food comes from—and discover that they can be part of creating a healthier food system. That is the inspiration behind Food Is Medicine.
The Power of Mushrooms 🍄
If you've spent any time with us, you know that mushrooms hold a special place in our hearts.
Mushrooms are fascinating organisms and incredible teaching tools. They invite us to look at food differently—to think about mycelium, decomposition, ecosystems, nutrition, and the connections between seemingly separate parts of nature.
With Mi Oh My Farms, students get to experience mushroom cultivation firsthand. They don't just hear about food systems in a textbook. They can see it, touch it, grow it, taste it, and ask questions about it in the classroom.
Our Superfood S.T.E.A.M. K-12 workshops use mushrooms and other nutrient-dense foods as a doorway into science, technology, nutrition, engineering, arts, math, ecology, and food justice.
And sometimes, the most powerful lesson starts with something as simple as: “Wait…we can grow THAT here?” Yes. Yes, we can!
Regenerative Farming in the City
One of the things we love most about urban farming is the opportunity to show young people that agriculture can be innovative, circular, and regenerative.
Our work includes hydroponic and aquaponic systems that help students understand how different elements of an ecosystem can work together.
In our aquaponics system, fish provide nutrient-rich water that supports plant growth, creating a closed-loop system that gives students a tangible example of how nature can inspire sustainable technologies.
We also explore ways that mushrooms and their growing materials can contribute to healthier growing systems. At our Bronx farm, spent mushroom fruiting blocks are used to help improve soil in our outdoor community garden. These aren't just farming techniques.
They're opportunities to ask bigger questions:
How can we heal ourselves through nutrient dense foods?
How can we grow more food in cities?
How can we reduce waste?
How does nature create cycles instead of waste streams?
How can communities have food autonomy?
What would it look like if every young person knew how to grow at least some of their own food?
Those are the kinds of questions we want our future farmers asking.
Growing Future Farmers Through K–12 Education
As we head into a new school year, we're especially excited about getting back into NYC schools and continuing to expand our K–12 education workshops.
Our goal isn't simply to teach kids how to grow a plant. We want to help young people understand the whole system.
Food connects to science. Food connects to health. Food connects to culture. Food connects to the Earth. Food connects to economics. Food connects to community. And food connects us to every living thing around us.
Through hands-on, project-based S.T.E.A.M. education, we give students opportunities to explore these connections while developing real skills. Our vision is to continue growing our K–12 curriculum, train more teaching farmers, and reach hundreds of schools and thousands of students.
We believe the future farmers of New York City may be sitting in a classroom right now.
Maybe they're growing mushrooms for the first time. Maybe they're checking the pH of an aquaponics system. Maybe they're tasting a microgreen they've never tried before. Maybe they're building a hydroponic system. Maybe they're asking why food doesn't grow in their neighborhood. Maybe they're imagining a completely way of connecting with nature. That's where the future begins.
Why “Food Is Medicine”?
We chose these words because we want to challenge the idea that food is simply something we eat when we're hungry. Food can nourish and heal us. Food can connect us to culture and community. Food can teach us about biology and ecology. Food can inspire curiosity and creativity. Food can give us greater agency over our health and our environment. And learning how to grow food can be an incredibly empowering experience.
Our hope is that when someone puts on this design, they aren't just wearing a cool piece of art. They're carrying a reminder:
Pay attention to what you eat. Pay attention to how it's grown. Learn where your food comes from. Grow something. Share something. Nourish yourself and heal your community.
Art That Grows From the Mission 🎨
We also want to give a huge shoutout to the talented illustrator Ryan Williams for bringing this vision to life. The artwork captures so much of what inspires us—the relationship between food, water, growing systems, nature, and the playful curiosity that we hope to spark in every student we work with.
You can follow and support Ryan's work on Instagram at @asubtledifferencedesign.
We are grateful for artists and our Teaching Farmers who can take an idea rooted in our farm and our educational mission and turn it into something people can literally carry into the world.
Wear the Message. Support the Mission.
The current design is available as a garment-dyed, ringspun cotton tank in ivory, with sizes ranging from S through 3XL. It features a playful illustrated world of fish, a garden, and a rainbow—a little reminder that growing food can be both practical and magical.
And when you purchase from Mi Oh My Farms, you're helping support the bigger picture: urban farming, food education, youth programming, regenerative agriculture, and our work to empower the next generation of growers.
As a worker-owned cooperative, education and community empowerment are at the heart of what we do.
So here's to a new school year.
Here's to curious kids.
Here's to mushrooms and microgreens.
Here's to aquaponics, hydroponics, compost, soil, seeds, and mycelium.
Here's to teachers who make space for hands-on learning.
Here's to future farmers growing up in the five boroughs.
And here's to remembering that sometimes, changing the food system starts with helping one young person realize: “I can grow this.”
Food is medicine. Education is empowerment. And the future is something we can grow together.
