Liz Dowd was born in Vermont and spent their youth tagging along their parents’ never-ending gardening projects. Liz 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, Liz 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 Liz to begin growing for their community at Brooklyn Grange in 2016. Since then, Liz 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 Liz is not jumping from farm to farm, they can be found playing in the woods with their wife, two kids and Great Dane.

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