VOA慢速英语:Urban Farms Across America

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.
农场正蔓延到美国各地未使用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区种植农作物。他们也有能力去改变人们的饮食以及去影响受影响的社区。

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.
生态城农场是马里兰州乔治王子县的一个教育类非盈利组织。它旨在通过教授经济发展、就业培训和健康生活方式来发展社区。

The group has set up farms near automobile repair businesses and fast food stores in urban neighborhoods.
该组织在市区汽车维修企业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儿童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."
“关键的是，这些城镇中70%的人超重、肥胖、患有糖尿病或其它各种与饮食有关的疾病，因为他们没能获得健康食品。”

Eco City Farms offer several programs, including educational activists on agriculture, food, and finding jobs with environmentally-friendly businesses.
生态城农场提供了几种方案，包括农业、食品方面的教育活动家，以及在环保企业求职。

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.
人们还可以学习如何烹调健康食物，并教别人如何准备饭菜。最近一天， Philip Sidibe就展示了烹饪技术。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，他们还在Autumn Woods公寓附近的一处大花园种植食物。该公寓住了1000人，但该社区只有一个小商店。

Tameka Barbour-Gaskins lives in Autumn Woods. She says her whole family is eating healthier meals because of the local produce.
Tameka Barbour-Gaskins住在Autumn Woods。她说，因为这些当地的农产品，她全家都吃上了健康餐。

"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."
“我喜欢垃圾食品，喜欢吃快餐。从你这辈子中一种固定的饮食方式切换到健康饮食可不太容易。有了这些花园和我儿子的学习，他就可以帮助我转变饮食风格。我想要一个健康的家庭。”

Margaret Morgan-Hubbard says the urban garden is an agent for change and the young people are its newest supporters.
Margaret Morgan-Hubbard称，城市花园的变革，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."
“我们的计划是关于播种，不仅是播种到地里，还播种到其他人的心里。这样这项活动才能发展。这真是令人兴奋，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，而且还是向那些住在该社区的人们供应食物。