Following the disinvestment and neglect of the neighborhood in the 1960s and 1970s, the Pratt Center for Community Development and local organizations collaborated in 1995 to identify needs of the neighborhood including: more safe green spaces, income generating opportunities, retail, and better opportunities for youth.
[2][1] A majority of the families in East New York are Black and Hispanic with approximately 35% being immigrants, many of whom have agricultural backgrounds.
[2] The program is intended to teach participants how to run an organic farm, and how to provide support to other gardeners.
[6] In 2012, the farm worked with the NYC Department of Education to establish soil safety standards.
The half-acre farm opened in 2015 as a partnership between Pink Houses Resident Green Committee and ENYF.