Partner Feature: C.R.O.P.S.

CROPS Fishermans Park Farmers Market

When people think of Atlantic City, they may think of its casinos, hotels, and the world-famous boardwalk. But, they might not know that for several years Atlantic City has been designated as a Food Desert Community by the state of New Jersey. Food deserts are areas where community members don't have convenient access to supermarket chains or affordable fresh produce. While there are some corner stores in Atlantic City, there hasn't been a full-service grocery store there in 26 years. This has left residents without adequate access to groceries for two decades.

This inequality and the lack of “green spaces” in Atlantic City inspired the formation of Communities Revolutionizing Open Public Spaces, or C.R.O.P.S., which was founded in 2016. C.R.O.P.S. is a non-profit organization whose mission is to alleviate food insecurity through empowering healthy, interconnected communities by advocating for a more sustainable food system. They accomplish this mission by engaging in urban farming and gardening, local food aggregation and distribution, sustainable food system building, and by collaborating with local organizations.

CROPS Fishermans Park Farmers Market

From May-November, C.R.O.P.S. sells produce at their Fisherman’s Park Community Garden Market as well as at a pop-up market at the Atlantic City WIC Office and occasional pop-up markets at Housing Authority residential sites. Their markets accept a variety of benefit programs, including SNAP, WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP), and Senior FMNP (SFMNP). C.R.O.P.S has been a Good Food Bucks partner for 7 years which means when a customer pays with SNAP, they will receive a dollar-for-dollar match in Good Food Bucks coupons! When they come back to the market to shop they can redeem these coupons for more fruits and vegetables the next time they shop! 

Produce for these markets is aggregated by C.R.O.P.S. from small and medium farms located in the surrounding area. C.R.O.P.S. also sells produce grown by farmers in their Urban Coastal Agriculture Network or “UCAN” Farmer Training program. This initiative supports community members interested in farming and helps them get their businesses off the ground. UCAN has been running for three years, and they currently have 5 farmers in the program with a second cohort of 4 new farmers starting in the Spring of 2026 (this cohort just got started and planted their first beds!)

To learn more about the UCAN program click here. 

Before the produce is ready to be sold, it might head to C.R.O.P.S. food hub, a space with 10 refrigerators where produce is stored. C.R.O.P.S. has built strong relationships with farms across Atlantic County and continues to support getting their produce out to people in need. In the past year, over $9,000 worth of produce has moved through the food hub! 

Another innovative way C.R.O.P.S. has been working to get fresh produce to more people is through their farm share program. Launched two years ago, C.R.O.P.S. Farm Share program allows families to receive a box of produce for a discounted rate. This is because their farm share operates on a sliding scale where your payment depends on your income and household size. Families who can pay"full price" for the boxes are covering the difference in cost for farm shares that families who pay a reduced price.

This sliding scale program was started in collaboration with New Roots, a non-profit that created an innovative model for increasing food access. Not only are people in the community supporting each other, but the New Roots model gets farm fresh food to lower-income households. People who sign up receive a series of boxes that can be filled with 8-10 varieties of produce of their choice! 

To learn more about their farm share program and learn how you can become a shareholder, click this link - https://www.cropsnj.org/farmshareprogram 

At C.R.O.P.S. Fisherman’s Park and the Arc Community Garden, community members harvest approximately 1,100+ pounds of produce a year. Their community gardens are open to the public all year round, and anyone can come, pick produce, and enjoy the beauty of the garden. Throughout the year, they also host Gardening and Nutrition workshops that cater to all ages. They partner with local schools, senior centers, youth organizations, and family success centers to bring programs such as "Edible Flowers: Sunflowers and Nasturtiums" or “Mini Garden and Seedlings” workshops. These workshops are integral to the work C.R.O.P.S. does because they allow people to learn about and connect to nature. Bridging that connection brings people closer to their food and to the people who grow it.  

This only scratches the surface of the work that C.R.O.P.S. is doing in Atlantic City. Their mission of making Atlantic City a “Farm to Fork” City is actively being realized!

To learn more about C.R.O.P.S. and the work they do, check out their website C.R.O.P.S. NJ , and their Instagram @cropsnonprofit.