VOA慢速英语2013 美国各地的城市农场（在线收听）

美国各地的城市农场

From VOA Learning English, this is the Agriculture Report.

这里是美国之音慢速英语农业报道。

Farms are spreading to unused city lots and old properties across the United States. These urban farms grow crops in areas where people rarely buy fresh fruits and vegetables, they also have the power to change what people eat and the power to influence troubled neighborhoods.

农场蔓延到了美国各地闲置的城市地块和旧物业。这些城市农场在人们很少能买到新鲜水果和蔬菜的地方种植农作物。它们也有能力去改变人们的饮食以及去影响受困扰的社区。

Eco City Farms is an educational nonprofit organization in Prince George county, Maryland. It seeks to empower the community by teaching economic development, job training and a healthy way of living.

生态城农场（Eco City Farms）是马里兰州乔治王子县的一家教育类非盈利性组织。该组织寻求通过指导经济发展、职业培训和健康生活方式使得人们更具能力。

The group has set up farms near automobile repair businesses and fast food stores in urban neighborhoods.

该组织在市区汽修厂和快餐店附近开办了农场。

Social activist Margaret Morgan-Hubbard founded Eco City Farms. She says the the lack of fresh produce is a major health problem for children and their families who live in nearby Bladensburg, Maryland.

社会活动家玛格丽特·摩根-哈伯德（Margaret Morgan-Hubbard）创立了生态城农场。她说，缺乏新鲜农产品是居住在马里兰州布莱登斯堡附近的孩子及其家人面临的一个主要的健康问题。

"What's critical is that 70 percent of the people in these towns are either overweight, obese, have diabetes or other kinds of diet-related ailments because they don't have access to healthy food."

她说，“关键是这些城镇中70%的人超重、肥胖、患有糖尿病或其它与饮食相关的疾病，因为他们没有渠道获得健康食品。”

Eco City Farms offer several programs, including educational activists on agriculture, food, and finding jobs with environmentally-friendly businesses.

生态城农场提供数种方案，其中包括农业、食品方面的教育活动家，以及在环保企业谋职。

People can also learn how to cook healthier foods and teach others how to prepare meals. On a recent day, Philip Sidibe demonstrated his cooking skills. He prepared Aloco, a popular food in Cameroon where he grew up.

人们还能学习如何烹调健康食物，并教别人如何准备饭菜。最近某天，菲利普·西迪贝（Philip Sidibe）就展示了他的厨艺。他准备了Aloco，这是他家乡喀麦隆的一种常见食物。

He and other young people not only cook their food, they also grow it in a large garden next to the Autumn Woods Apartments. The apartments are home to 1,000 people, but the community has just one small store.

他和其他年轻人不仅烹煮食物，还在秋林公寓（Autumn Woods Apartments）附近的一处大花园种植食物。该公寓住了1000人，但该社区却只有一个小商店。

Tameka Barbour-Gaskins lives in Autumn Woods. She says her whole family is eating healthier meals because of the local produce.

巴伯加斯·金斯（Tameka Barbour-Gaskins）住在秋林公寓。她表示，因为这些本地农产品，她全家都吃上了健康食物。

"I like junk food. I like quick meals. Not easy to just go from eating a certain way all your life to switching over to being healthier... With the garden here, with my son learning, he can help me switch around my style of eating. I want a healthy family."

她说，“我喜欢吃垃圾食品，喜欢吃快餐。从吃了一辈子的饮食方式转换到健康饮食可不太容易。有了这些花园和我儿子的学习，他就可以帮助我改变饮食风格。我想要有个健康的家庭。”

Margaret Morgan-Hubbard says the urban garden is an agent for change and the young people are its newest supporters.

摩根-哈伯德表示，城市花园是变革的动因，年轻人则是其最新的支持者。

"Our program is about planting seeds. It's about planting seeds not just in the ground, but in other human beings so that the movement can grow and it's really exciting because... these young people will be working with us throughout the year to help plan the actual farm and to ultimately own it."

她说，“我们的项目是关于播种，不仅是播种到地里，还播种到其他人的心里。这样该活动才能发展。这真令人兴奋，因为这些年轻人整年都将与我们携手合作，帮助规划这一实际的农场，并最终拥有它。”

She says this means not only farming food, but also making that food available to people who live in the community.

她说，这不仅意味着种植食物，还包括向居住在该社区的人们供应这些食物。