VOA新闻杂志2022--沃尔玛投资室内垂直农业

Walmart, America's largest goods store, recently announced that it bought a share of the agriculture company, Plenty.

Plenty specializes¹ in vertical² farming. In a statement, Walmart official Charles Redfield said the partnership³ will help the company offer the "highest-quality foods at the best prices." Plenty is based in San Francisco, California. Walmart is an international company based in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Vertical farmers praise their methods. They say vertical farming grows more food while using less water and land. The method also does not use chemical insect control. It also permits produce to be grown all year near transportation centers, which increases the dependability of supply.

Walmart did not comment on the size of its investment⁴ or the financial terms of the deal. The company said a Walmart representative will join Plenty's board of directors when the deal is completed.

Plenty is one of several companies in the fast-growing field of indoor farming. Other vertical farming companies include AppHarvest in Morehead, Kentucky and Gotham Greens based in New York City.

The company Agritecture is a business advisor⁵. It recently said at least 74 indoor farming companies were established around the world in 2020.

Plenty was founded in 2014. It has a vertical farm in South San Francisco. It also operates an indoor science research center in Laramie, Wyoming.

Plenty is now building a center in Compton, California. It said the project will be the world's most productive⁶ vertical indoor farm. It is expected to open in the second half of this year.

Plenty said its vertical farming towers are designed to grow several crops on one floor in a building the size of a large store. Its systems include vertical plant towers, special lighting⁷, and robots to plant, feed, and harvest the crops.

Plenty says its farms use one percent of the land that an outdoor farm requires. At the same time, the farm can produce anywhere from 150 to 350 times more food per hectare.

Walmart said that under the deal, Plenty's Compton farm will send leafy vegetables, like lettuce⁸, to Walmart's California stores beginning later this year. Walmart said the vertical farms will add to, not replace, traditional farming methods. It added that the vertical farms will increase the food supply in a way that is good for the environment and that does not waste resources.

Words in This Story

vertical – adj. positioned up and down rather than from side to side: going straight up

board – n. a group of people who manage or direct a company or organization

grocery store – phr. n. a store that sells food and household supplies

tower – n. a tall, narrow building or structure that may stand apart from or be attached to another building or structure

leaf – n. one of the flat and typically green parts of a plant that grow from a stem or twig

1 specializes   

v.专门从事，专攻( specialize的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She specializes in obstetrics. 她是产科专家。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The cinema specializes in Italian films. 这家电影院专门放映意大利电影。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 vertical   

adj.垂直的，顶点的，纵向的；n.垂直物，垂直的位置

参考例句：

• The northern side of the mountain is almost vertical.这座山的北坡几乎是垂直的。
• Vertical air motions are not measured by this system.垂直气流的运动不用这种系统来测量。

3 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

4 investment   

n.投资，投资额；(时间、精力等的)投入

参考例句：

• It took two years before I recouped my investment.我用了两年时间才收回投资。
• The success of the project pivots on investment from abroad.这个工程的成功主要依靠外来投资。

5 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

6 productive   

adj.能生产的，有生产价值的，多产的

参考例句：

• We had a productive meeting that solved some problems.我们开了一个富有成效的会议，解决了一些问题。
• Science and technology are part of the productive forces.科学技术是生产力。

7 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

8 lettuce   

n.莴苣；生菜

参考例句：

• Get some lettuce and tomatoes so I can make a salad.买些莴苣和西红柿，我好做色拉。
• The lettuce is crisp and cold.莴苣松脆爽口。