A Farm in the City Sprouts a 'Genius'

A Farm in the City Sprouts a 'Genius'
Will Allen, an urban farmer in Wisconsin, wins a $500,000 MacArthur fellowship for providing food and agricultural education. Transcript of radio broadcast
12 October 2008

This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

Farming means growing crops on a good-size piece of land in the country, right? Well, a farm can also produce food in small spaces in the city. Just ask Will Allen.
Will Allen is an urban farmer in the American Midwest. And last month he became one of the twenty-five winners of this year's MacArthur fellowships, commonly called genius grants. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation secretly chooses people to receive five hundred thousand dollars over five years. They can spend it any way they want.

Will Allen co-directs a nonprofit organization called Growing Power. He helped create the group in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in nineteen ninety-five. Growing Power has a series of greenhouses on about one hectare of land in the city.

The farm provides low-cost fresh fruits and vegetables, especially for poor people. People without much money often eat unhealthy diets that can lead to problems like heart disease and diabetes. Part of the problem is that poor communities often lack markets with fresh produce.

Will Allen also feels strongly that food that has to travel long distances from field to market costs too much.

During the last ten years, he has expanded the work of Growing Power. For example, his daughter Erika manages projects in Chicago, Illinois. One Chicago organization that they work with is the Farm-City Market Basket Program. This program sells weekly baskets of fresh produce. Members of a farming cooperative provide the food at reduced prices.

Teenagers and young adults work as aides at Growing Power. They can also study agricultural methods at workshops organized by the group. People who want to learn how to start city farms can get intensive training at these workshops in Milwaukee.

Will Allen is the son of a laborer who could not read. As a child, Will wanted to be a basketball player. He became the first African-American to play basketball for the University of Miami in Florida.

After graduating, he played professionally. He retired in nineteen seventy-seven. He and his wife, Cynthia, then moved to Wisconsin. Will Allen grew vegetables and sold them at local markets in the Milwaukee area for years. He purchased the farm that became Growing Power.

His dream now is to build a vertical farm, in a building five floors high.

And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, written by Jerilyn Watson. Transcripts, MP3s and podcasts of our reports are at voaspecialenglish.com.


----------------------------Google Translate

一个农场的市发芽一个天才'
将阿伦，一个城市的农民在威斯康星州，赢得了$ 500000麦克阿瑟奖学金提供粮食和农业教育。全文电台广播
2008年十月12日

这是美国之音特别英语农业部报告。

农业是指种植作物的一个很好的大小的一块土地在该国，对不对？那么，一个农场还可以生产粮食的狭小空间中的城市。只要问请问阿伦。
将艾伦是一个城市的农民在美国中西部。上个月，他成为一名2005年获奖者今年的麦克阿瑟奖学金，通常被称为天才的赠款。约翰和凯瑟琳麦克阿瑟基金会秘密的人选择收到50.00万美元的五年。他们可以花钱任何方式他们想要的。

阿伦将共同领导一个非营利性组织的要求不断成长的动力。他帮助创建该组在威斯康星州密尔沃基市，在1995年。日益增长的电力有一系列关于温室约一公顷的土地在城市。

该农场提供低成本的新鲜水果和蔬菜，尤其是穷人。人没有钱常常吃不健康的饮食，可能导致问题，如心脏病和糖尿病。问题的部分原因是贫困的社区往往缺乏市场的新鲜农产品。

将艾伦还强烈地感到，食品，已经长途跋涉从外地市场的费用太高了。

在过去的十几年，他已扩大了工作的不断成长的动力。例如，他的女儿埃里卡管理项目伊利诺斯州芝加哥市。芝加哥的一个组织，他们与农场是城市市场篮子计划。这项计划出售每周篮子新鲜农产品。会员国的农业合作提供了食物，同时降低价格。

青少年和年轻人作为助手的工作在不断成长的动力。他们还可以学习农业的方法上举办的讲习班组。人们谁想要了解如何开始的城市农场可以强化培训在这些讲习班在密尔沃基。

将阿伦的父亲是谁劳动者无法读取。作为一个孩子，会想成为一名篮球运动员。他成为第一位非洲裔美国人打篮球的大学在佛罗里达州迈阿密。

毕业后，他发挥专业。他退休77年。他和他的妻子，辛西娅，然后转移到威斯康星州。艾伦增长将蔬菜和出售他们在当地市场的密尔沃基雄鹿领域多年。他购买了农场，成为不断成长的动力。

现在他的梦想是建立一个垂直农场，在建设5层高。

，这是美国之音特别英语农业部报告，写的Jerilyn沃森。誊本， MP3和播客我们的报告是在voaspecialenglish.com 。