-
WATER SCARCITY
By 2025, an estimated 1.8 billion people will be in a water
scarce state globally.
By implementing closed loop agriculture systems,
we can use 90% less water
to grow our food. -
FOOD SECURITY
Monocultures have left our soil depleted, riddled with
pesticides, and 12% of the population in a food
insecure state.
We must make sustainable agriculture systems
more accessible, safe, and sufficient. -
AG-TECH EDUCATION
It's time to re-think our food systems. Locally and globally,
our systems are costly, unjust, and unsustainable.
By making agricultural technology more accessible to
underserved communities,we can educate & empower
populations that otherwise, would be vulnerable
to the impacts of are outdated
food infrastructure.
Our Mission
Change Food for Good is a New York City-based nonprofit organization dedicated to making sustainable agricultural technology more accessible to areas affected by food insecurity. We believe we can educate, empower and ultimately, uplift vulnerable communities out of food-insecure states through the use of localized sustainable agriculture and pathways to opportunities in the green sector.
Our Vision
Change Food for Good will foster the next generation of urban farmers who will use technology and advanced farming methods to meet the food production demands of the future. We aim to provide free workshops & training to 1500 individuals, secure 250 job placements for our alumni, and help build 100 green spaces & farms by 2025.
The Future of Food
Our current food infrastructure's fragility is leading us toward a food crisis. We've identified 3 main drivers of this systemic issue:
Climate Crisis
As climate-caused drought threatens to leave 1.8 billion people in a water scarce state by 2025, it's crucial that food insecure communities begin farming locally and using growing methods that reduce water consumption like hydroponics and aquaponics.
Workforce Gaps
In the US, the average age of farmers is 57 years old. As our global population increases, we'll need to increase our food production significantly to meet the demand. We have to begin stewarding young adults into the jobs that are emerging in green infrastructure due to these workforce shifts.
Food Access
Our current food infrastructure leaves 1 in 9 people in a state of chronic hunger. This problem is only becoming worsened by the resource intensive practices that commercial farming uses which damages farmland. From production, distribution, pricing and marketing, we need to rethink food access from the bottom-up.
Our Approach
Free Job Training Programs
We provide hands-on, interdisciplinary training for young adults (18-30 years old) interested in gaining agriculture, construction, and technology skills - free of charge for participants earning less than $40,000/year.
Community Farm Development
We work with New York City's schools, community-based organizations, and community gardens to build and maintain community smart farms, food hubs and green spaces.
Accessible Technology Solutions
We leverage technical skills and tools to advance farming practices. With access to affordable, user-friendly technology solutions, urban and commercial farmers can integrate data-informed practices to improve their farm sites.
Employer Partner Network
We partner with employers to integrate employment based skills into our training & place alumni into gainful employment positions. Upon successful completion of our job training programs, participants are matched to 3-6 month subsidized internship roles with one of our community partners, at no or reduced cost to local employers.
Why We Started
Change Food for Good began as a grassroots, volunteer-led effort and a desire to radically change the food
landscape of New York City. We saw that the tools that could alleviate poverty and food insecurity were
not accessible to the communities most impacted by it - in New York City and abroad. Food access is being
addressed from the top-down, yet food insecurity is on the rise and climate change threatens to worsen this
outdated infrastructure in the years to come. While AgTech, a $15 Billion industry in the United States,
continues to grow, it's clear that the readiness of food system solutions is not the problem.
It's access - for the people that need it.
We decided to bring modern farming practices and agricultural technology to our communities and in the process,
help up-skill young jobseekers to fill the gainful employment roles emerging from this booming sector. We can
reshape our local food economy. We can create pathways into these emerging sectors and advance economic mobility.
We can create collaborative, community-centric models that advance urban, peri-urban and rural food systems for generations to come.
Meet Our Team
Samia Lemfadli
CEO & Founder
Samia Lemfadli is a Brooklyn native and technologist with a deep rooted passion for sustainable agriculture. As an alumni of programs like General Assembly's Web Development Immersive and Platform by Perscholas, she has leveraged her technical and business development skills to improve workforce strategies and advance technical infrastructure for organizations like MIT Civic Media Lab, The Knowledge House , Per Scholas, New York Maritime Innovation Center , Kilimanjaro Initiative USA, and Jobsfirst NYC . Samia has applied her lived experience of the workforce development system to secure more than 300 job placements for program alumni and her community network and remains a fierce advocate for young adult economic mobility. She believes that workforce development and inclusive technology advances can be key levers for self-determination and more resilient communities. She was selected for Claniel Foundation’s 2022 Emerging Leaders Fund, was a 2020 Echoing Green Semi-Finalist, Head of the Steering Committee for NYMIC, Head of the Junior Board for Kilimanjaro Initiative USA and served as Co-Chair for the Yes Bed-Stuy Partnership .
Deneisha Thompson
Board Chair
A social worker turned entrepreneur, Deneisha is a consultant who specializes in change management, partnership development, & group facilitation. Deneisha helps to build cross-sector networks and partnerships in communities with high rates of poverty & works with her clients to develop anti-racist practices as well as improve diversity, equity & inclusion for their staff and stakeholders.
Jeffrey Deasy
Board Treasurer
Jeff has more than 20 years of experience in the field of economic development, small business development, finance, and corporate governance. Jeff is currently providing support to entrepreneurs, including worker-owned cooperatives, and social ventures nationwide on behalf of the Business Outreach Center Network.
Kai Lin Zhang
Board Member
Kai Lin Zhang is a software developer, community organizer, and plant-lover, who volunteers with GrowNYC & the NYC Parks street tree stewardship program. Her passion for economic, racial, & environmental justice led by & for communities of color drove her to join CFFG's work in food security. She currently serves as the Executive Director of the New York State Assembly Asian Pacific American Task Force.
Joe Carrano
Board Secretary
Joe Carrano is a Brooklyn native, technology consultant, and the Co-Founder of The Knowledge House: a free tech workforce program that serves low income New Yorkers and connects them to skilled jobs in tech. He has been a long time supporter of Change Food for Good's mission & mentor to Change Food for Good's Founder, Samia Lemfadli.
Steven Jeanty
Board Member
Steven Jeanty is a Horticulturist, equipped with a Bachelor’s degree in Plant Sciences and Master’s degree in Global Agriculture. He has over 4 years of experience supporting commercial and community farms in New York & New Jersey; most recently working as the Head Grower at AeroFarms and is now supporting commercial cannabis operations. His combined passion for urban agriculture and expertise in controlled environment agriculture compelled him to join CFFG’s board and contribute to their agriculture projects and programs.
Lyndsey Richardson
Board Member
Lyndsey Richardson (she/they) is a facilitator, service designer, bureaucracy hacker, and community power strategist. Lyndsey’s educational background (MPH) and personal experiences bring her knowledge and dedication to community health, participatory design, healing-centered praxis, and youth-development. She currently serves as the Deputy Design Director at the Service Design Studio in the Mayor’s Office for Economic Opportunity. Lyndsey previously managed the Work Progress Program & brings with her 10 years of experience working on food production farms (urban & rural) & managing community gardens.
Priya Deolall
Program Manager
From an intern working on the official launch of the YES Bed Stuy Partnership to Program Coordinator to Program Manager, Priya currently manages Change Food for Good’s job training, high school, & internship program offerings, as well as supporting with student case management & external partnership activities. She has over 4 years of background in business administration, management and operations.
Daniel Segarra
Web Developer
Daniel Segarra is a Brooklyn native with a passion for art, education, and equity. After engaging his curiosity at Hunter college he found himself transitioning from post-production editing and computer graphics to developing software as a means of bridging creative thought to accessible experience. He is an alumni of Intro to AgTech’s pilot cohort and has been working in technical roles with CFFG since then. Daniel aspires to bring accessibility through design, education, and open source advocacy.
Joshua Espinosa
Agriculture Instructor
Josh Espinosa is a hydroponic educator with over two years of experience maintaining hydroponic vertical farms in New Jersey. He completed his Bachelor's degree in Biology from Seton Hall University and supported growing operations at AeroFarms as the Assistant Grower. He enjoys experimenting with home hydroponic food production systems and hunting for medicinal mushroom species. As Change Food for Good’s Agricultural Instructor he is driven to develop the skills of future hydroponic and mushroom farmers in providing equal access to sustainably grown food and medicine to their local communities.
Malcolm Holliday
Technical Instructor
Malcolm is a highly proficient full stack developer with a personal passion for teaching. Formerly a dance instructor for local community centers, he began his tech journey 5 years ago and has since served as the lead developer on projects with MIT, 718 Digital, Trinity Tech Solutions, Unioncrate, and more. He led the 2nd and 3rd cohorts of Intro to AgTech Technological Instruction.
Valencia Starr
Teaching Assistant
During her internship with Change Food for Good, Valencia helped make improvements and additions to Change Food for Good’s website, as well as assisted with launching PlotBot onto the Android app store. Her out-of-the-box thinking is a key quality and has been useful with students as she helps them gain coding and programming skills. She is an alumni of The Knowledge House's web development and data analytics training courses.
Amber G
Junior Web Developer
Amber is a graduate of the 3rd Cohort of Intro to AgTech program where she developed a proficiency in programming languages and an interest in full stack development. She holds a Master of Science from the CUNY Graduate Center where she studied Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences. Her research focus and organizing have been centered in food and land sovereignty, and issues impacting youth that age out of foster care.
Anastasiya Ayala
Junior Web Developer
As an aspiring web developer. Anastasiya completed the 2nd cohort of Intro to AgTech and decided to grow in two directions: Web development and Project Management. She is actively learning from the PlotBot project development process and her colleagues.
Our Recent Achievements
Featured on FWF Women in Food Spotligh
Co-Chair of the Bronx Digital Equity Coalition
2023 Partnership for a Civilian Climate Corps Founding Member
2022 David Prize NYC Scout
2022 Emerging Leaders Fund
Echoing Green 2020 Climate Fellowship Semi Finalist
Victoria’s Secret Pink GRL PWR Project 2020 Honorable Mention
Black Girl Ventures 2018 & 2019 Pitch Competition Finalist
