Rhye Dowd was born in Vermont and spent their youth tagging along their parents’ never-ending gardening projects. Rhye picked-up some hard skills, but mostly how to trust your intuition and have fun doing it. Upon moving to New York City to study photography at the School of Visual Arts, they found that they loved the culture but missed the dirt. Their yearning for soil and seeds led them to the Pfieffer Center, where they studied biodynamics, and NY Open Center, where they dove into urban permaculture. Then, after completing their Adult Urban Farm Training Program, Rhye was offered a co-manager position at The Youth Farm, where they found themself energized and inspired by teaching and learning from their cohort, and the challenging discussions about food justice that regularly took place. It was this framework that inspired Rhye to begin growing for their community at Brooklyn Grange in 2016. Since then, Rhye has helped start Brooklyn Grange’s Equitable Food Distribution program; launching our sliding scale CSA and working with funders to sponsor culturally relevant produce distribution to Community Based Organizations. When Rhye is not lining-up the next food distribution, they can be found exploring all the living creatures in their home garden with their wife and two kiddos.

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