Microgreens: A Solution to Food Insecurity, or Another Part of the Problem?
Baby vegetables could be the cure to a public health crisis, or the next victim of gentrification.
Within a small sliver of usable space on W 238th Street and Greystone Avenue in the Bronx is a door. It sits virtually unmarked and unlabeled, between a popular local pub and a vegan food service/apothecary/thrift store, if not for a little postcard in the window. The postcard reads:
Mi Oh My Hydroponic Farms Cooperative
Fresh Cut Microgreens, Mushroom Tonics, Microgreen Grow Kits & More
Inside are racks upon racks of LED lights and trays covered entirely with green: little stems, little leaves, little grasses. These are microgreens, a new category of garden plant that refers to common vegetables and health foods (Mi Oh My’s varieties include spicy radish, sunflower, pea shoots, kale, arugula, kohlrabi, broccoli, and cabbage) that are planted in a higher density and harvested early in their life cycle to be used mostly as a nutritious garnish. The nutrition facts are scientifically-backed; research found that microgreens are up to 40 times as nutritious as their adult vegetable counterparts. However, whether other claims about the benefits of microgreens are valid, namely whether they can solve food insecurity, is still up for debate.
Food insecurity is a phenomenon in which people lack access to adequate amounts of healthy food. This is often a symptom of financial instability. Areas where healthy food is difficult to access in appropriate amounts are known as food deserts. Food deserts are most commonly found in low-income areas and communities of color. Thus, food insecurity speaks to yet another unfavorable outcome of certain interconnected socioeconomic factors, such as race and class.
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated food insecurity, with shortages of fresh produce bringing the flaws of our current food system to the forefront of societal consciousness. In New York City, where the pandemic exposed a hunger crisis, the Bronx experienced the worst of it, exhibiting the highest levels of food insecurity of any borough. People needed better local access to nutritious foods, access that is not as easily disrupted as the current system is. Microgreens, as of late, are being hailed as the Gotham-esque hero the city needs.
As climate change and the growing human population continues to threaten our historical system of agriculture, there has been a push for food technology shifts that satisfy sustainable development goals. Urban farming has been upheld as that shift. Hydroponics, verticle farming, rooftop, backyard, and community gardens allow more food production in smaller spaces and increase fresh food access for cities. It’s easier for these spaces to be considered organic, as they don't often require the same mass use of pesticides and chemicals to ensure crop growth that traditional farms do. As a result, urban farmers are frequently listed as one of the most in-demand green jobs.
Mi Oh My depicts an urban farm system that embodies a sort of aesthetic of the agricultural future: the clean, minimalist front space containing only leftover equipment and houseplants, having to take off your shoes to enter the hydroponics room, the neatly organized columns of uniform-brand racks and lights and exactly human-sized rows of walking space between them, all the cables duct-taped together on the floor, the bluish tinge of the LEDs overwhelmed by so much green beneath them, so much damp, vibrant life, budding interminably from each plastic tray. Indeed, this dorm-sized operation visually represents the idea of a more efficient, resilient, and just food system that many an environmentalist dreams of.
A study published by the International Society for Horticultural Science seemed similarly charmed by microgreens and their eco-potential. Researchers proposed that because microgreens can be grown in a variety of soil, lighting, and space conditions, they can be a source of nutrition even in food deserts. Their rich antioxidant and vitamin levels allow for a large amount of nutrition in a small amount of food, which is especially valuable to communities that cannot easily obtain large amounts of nutritious food.
But microgreens are suffering from an illness that we have yet to discover a cure for, the same illness that has already overtaken much of Brooklyn and ravished many species of fruits and vegetables: trendiness.
Microgreens are trendy, coming from a culinary history of use by chefs to garnish high-end dishes. They are experiencing a new wave of fame, whether it’s propelled by word-of-mouth or the internet or it’s something we can again just blame on millennials, microgreens are now a farmer’s market staple. Their recent increase in demand means that they are expensive. A pound of microgreens typically sells for anywhere between $20 to $50. A pound of broccoli heads, in comparison, sells for just under $2 on average. The consumption end of microgreens, though, is not the only part that is trendy.
The common argument made for microgreens as a solution to food insecurity is not often focused on the purchase of them, but instead on the growing of them. They are inexpensive to set up and they are resilient. This also means that while those in food deserts can grow them with minimal cost and effort, those with more time and resources can easily grow better yields and sell them for a profit. In a Youtube video from Epic Gardening (which currently has 1.73 million subscribers) entitled How to Grow Microgreens from Start to Finish (COMPLETE GUIDE) channel host Kevin Espiritu describes how he started growing microgreens in small living spaces that offered “almost no light at all.” He stated about microgreens, “This is one of the things that you can grow no matter where you live.” The video has over 3 million views. Microgreens have become a DIY trend and an entrepreneurial one at that. Simply searching how to grow them online will lead you to a myriad of basement business owners, such as Urban Farmer Chris Stone, who frequently posts Youtube videos with titles describing how much money he has gained: $17,000 per Month Selling Microgreens, $1200/week Growing Microgreens in a 240 Sq Room.
Mi Oh My Farms offers a farm share, the lowest subscription price being $6.25 for 3–4 ounces of produce. Their website has a page dedicated to food justice, which describes the training that the farm offers in hydroponic methods and cooperative economics and a program in which one can volunteer for two hours a week in exchange for free microgreens. While this is undoubtedly a great way to integrate community members through a method that is educational and mutually beneficial, those in low-income communities may have an excess of responsibilities and obstacles preventing them from being available to volunteer their time for two hours a week. It seems likely that one who has to has to work multiple low-wage jobs, take care of family, or is chronically ill, may say to themselves, “This all seems like a lot of fuss, I’ll just stick to the food I usually eat and know I can afford.” Perhaps it is not a coincidence the Mi Oh My Farms on W 238th Street and Greystone Avenue is located in Riverdale, the wealthiest neighborhood in the Bronx.
It is true that microgreens can be grown at home quite easily, without any special equipment, so perhaps they may be a viable option for those that already have the time for houseplants or a few dollars to spend on seeds. It is true that they can be useful in food emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic. But when it comes to microgreens as a savior for the food insecure, the case is the same as with all panaceas: it’s just not that simple.
