A Farm in the City Sprouts a 'Genius' (1/2)

Farming means growing crops on a good size piece of land in the country, right? Well, a farm also can 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 25 winners of this year's MacArthur fellowships, commonly called genius grants. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation secretly chooses people to receive $ 500,000 over 5 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 1995. Growing Power has a series of greenhouses on about 1 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 feels strongly that food that has to travel long distances from field to market costs too much. During the last 10 years, he has expanded the work of Growing Power. For example, his daughter Erika manages projects in Chicago, Illinois.

genius：天才

greenhouses：温室，暖房

hectare：公顷

diabetes：糖尿病

参考译文：

农事意味着在乡村找一块大小合适的土地种植庄稼，对吗？其实，一个农场也可以在城市的小空间里产出粮食。问问威尔 艾伦就知道了。

威尔 艾伦是美国中西部的一名城市农民。上个月他成为了本年度的麦克阿瑟奖金--通常被称为“天才奖金”--的25名获奖者之一。约翰 D和凯瑟琳 T 麦克阿瑟基金会5年来秘密选出得到50万美金的人。他们可以随心所欲地花这笔钱。

威尔 艾伦参与领导了一个叫做成长力量的非营利性组织。1995年的时候，他帮助在威斯康辛州的密尔沃基市建立了这个团体。成长力量在该市大约1公顷的土地上拥有一组温室。

这个农场提供便宜的新鲜水果和蔬菜，特别是给穷人。没多少钱的人们经常食用可能引起像心脏病和糖尿病等问题的不健康食物。部分问题在于贫民区通常缺少提供新鲜产品的市场。

威尔 艾伦强烈感到，需要从农田到市场长距离运输的食物要价太高。在过去十年里，他已经拓展了成长力量的工作范围。举例来说，他的女儿艾丽卡在伊利诺伊州的芝加哥管理项目规划.....