N.Y. Agriculture & Markets Law § 31-h: Office of community gardens; powers; duties

§ 31-h. Office of community gardens; powers; duties. 1. The

commissioner shall establish within the department an office of

community gardens which shall have the authority and responsibility for

carrying out the provisions of this article in cooperation with the

state department of environmental conservation, the state education

department, the department of state, cooperative extensions and other

state agencies and municipalities.

2. The duties of the office shall include:

a. Upon request, the office shall assist in the identification of

vacant public land within a given geographical location and provide

information regarding agency jurisdiction and the relative suitability

of such lands for community gardening purposes;

b. Serve as a coordinator on behalf of interested community groups and

the appropriate state or local agencies to facilitate the use of vacant

public lands for community garden use for not less than one growing

season by receiving and forwarding with recommendation completed

applications to the appropriate state or municipal agency. Provided,

further, that the office may develop a single recommended application

form to be used by community groups when applying to state agencies or

municipalities for use of vacant public land for community garden

purposes;

c. Support and encourage contact between community garden programs

already in existence and those programs in the initial stages of

development;

d. Seek and provide such assistance, to the extent funds or grants may

become available, for the purposes identified in this article;

e. Assist, support and encourage contact and cooperation between, and

the cooperative sharing of resources between community garden groups,

school garden programs and local voluntary food assistance programs,

such as community food pantries, soup kitchens, senior centers, and

other community and not-for-profit organizations that provide or

distribute food to the elderly, poor, and disadvantaged. Such support

can include the provision of surplus community garden food or other

agricultural products to such local voluntary food assistance programs;

and

f. Assist, support and encourage communication, and the sharing of

resources between community garden organizations, the New York Harvest

For New York Kids Week program established by the department pursuant to

subdivision five-b of section sixteen of this chapter and individual

farm-to-school and school garden programs, and, where applicable, the

department of health, the department of state, the office of children

and family services and the division of housing and community renewal.