Cornell Cooperative Extension of New York City and the Police Athletic League (PAL) will host the first "Community Hydroponics Harvest Festival" on Tuesday, Oct. 5, at PAL's South Bronx Center, 991 Longwood Ave. The festival will be from 3 to 4:30 p.m.

Students from the Hydroponics Science Education Program at PAL will guide guests through the rooftop operation, where six large A-frame hydroponics units are housed. Produce grown there includes lettuce, endive, Chinese cabbage, collards and sweet basil. Hydroponic vegetables (i.e., grown in a nutrient solution) grow up to 10 times faster than in soil. Hydroponics is ideal for urban areas where land is limited.

Visitors to the event can sample the greens and herbs, talk with the students and purchase hydroponically grown vegetables at the end of the event. Invited speakers include Fernando Ferrer, Bronx borough president; John Ryan, PAL executive director; and Ruth Allen, director of Cornell Cooperative Extension-NYC. Local community leaders, parents and elected officials have been invited.

Cornell Cooperative Extension delivers education programs that help at-risk youth increase their science, technology and environmental literacy. Using innovative tools and technologies that have real-life application, in this case hydroponics technology as a form of urban agriculture, has helped make science and technology come alive for New York City youth.

PAL is the largest youth agency in New York City, serving 65,000 youngsters each year. With a wide range of educational and recreational programs, the PAL centers provide city kids with skills, support and guidance.