Farming for the Future

How Yemi Amu is helping to change the way we grow—and think about—our food

April 2023

by Alex Lim-Chua Wee

Yemi Amu

Picture a farm. You may imagine a large sunny field with miles of corn and wheat. Inside a barn, pigs sleep in pens and chickens lay eggs. Huge tractors rumble over the grass.

For Yemi Amu, founder of Oko Farms, farming looks a bit different. For starters, her farm is in the middle of New York City. Before it became a farm in 2013, it was an empty concrete lot.

There are no barns or tractors to be found. But many kinds of herbs and vegetables grow there—from basil and lemongrass to squash, peppers, and onions. The farm is also home to more than 200 fish.

Why all the fish? Yemi’s farm is an aquaponics farm. This means that plants grow in the same water where fish live. When the fish poop, it helps feed the plants. Plants then help clean the water for the fish. By recycling water, aquaponics farms can use up to 90 percent less water than other farms!

We talked to Yemi about her cool job.

Did you see yourself becoming a farmer?
Not at all! Before Oko Farms, I was a food and nutrition educator. I helped people learn how to buy and cook healthy food. But I learned that many people are not able to access healthy food, especially in urban, or city, areas.

Why do you think that is?
Growing up in Nigeria, fresh and healthy food was easy to find. Something like candy was actually more expensive. When I moved to America, it was the opposite! A slice of pizza costs a dollar, while fresh fruits and vegetables can cost more. I wanted to help make it easier for more people to learn about and find fresh food.

What do you love most about your job?
I love that there’s a new challenge every day. Nature is unpredictable, so there’s always something to learn. I have to study my fish so I know how to care for them.

If I find an insect eating everything on my farm, I have to study that insect. Is there a way to get rid of it that doesn’t hurt the farm? I never get bored!

What advice would you give to kids who want to follow in your footsteps?
Wherever you live, pay attention to nature around you. Notice what trees grow in your neighborhood. What do their leaves look like? Do they attract certain birds? You don’t even have to go out into the woods to find nature. It’s all around us.