VOA慢速英语--室内养殖产业快速增长

AS IT IS 2016-06-14 Indoor Farming Industry Is Growing Fast 室内养殖产业快速增长

As experts warn of a coming food crisis, the vertical¹ farming industry aims to create plants that offer more nutritional² value and require fewer resources.

In vertical farms, plants are grown indoors. Each set of plants is stacked on another. Workers control the climate and closely monitor each plant’s growth.

Vertical farm supporters say the methods are good for the environment, and good for the world’s growing population.

Experts say the size of the vertical farming market is expected to quadruple over the next five years to nearly $4 billion.

Aerofarms

Because of the technology it has created, AeroFarms has become one of the top indoor-farming companies.

One of its vertical farms is in a large building near a busy road in Newark, New Jersey³. It grows more than 250 kinds of greens and herbs. Farmers wear gloves, coats and coverings on their head. Their shoes must be cleaned.

AeroFarms grows crops at the same rate throughout the year. The methods it uses lower soil erosion. They also reduce the amount of pesticides⁵ and water needed to grow the crops. The company says carbon emissions⁶ are heavily reduced and in some cases eliminated.

David Rosenberg is the co-founder and chief executive officer of AeroFarms. “We could do this whether it is in the Sahara [Desert] or a city like Newark,” he said.

AeroFarms co-founder and chief marketing⁷ officer Marc Oshima says the company grows the kinds of plants that are eaten by people who live near the indoor farm.

“We think about amaranth -- one of the most popular greens in Africa and Southeast Asia. We think about how we can really bring and celebrate different types of varieties and different types of greens that are going to be specific to those regions,” he said.

Alina Zolotareva is a dietitian⁸ and nutritionist at AeroFarms. She says she wants people to eat more leafy greens like kale, one of the most nutritionally dense⁹ foods. She says if her company is to successfully encourage this kind of healthy eating, it must grow crops that taste good.

“Americans especially don’t eat enough vegetables, and so for me the most exciting part is all of the different flavors that we have here. It makes eating your vegetables so much more exciting and so much more fun.”

CEO David Rosenberg believes the company’s kale is tasty.

“A lot of people like the nutritional density¹⁰ of kale, but they don’t like the taste. So we can make a sweeter kale using the same seed,” he said.

Rosenberg said AeroFarms is helping¹¹ the world deal with a growing food shortage. He said people must change their focus from the number of calories they consume to the nutrition levels of the foods they eat.

Recent World Bank studies predict that an estimated global population of 9 billion in 2050 will require at least 50 percent more food. Experts say the crisis will be worsened by climate change, which they believe will reduce crop yields by more than 25 percent during that time.

They say the food crisis will have a larger effect on the world’s poorest citizens than on those who live in developed countries.

Words in This Story

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

nutritional – adj. healthy food or liquid

stack – v. to place things on top of each other; to put things in a neat pile

quadruple – adj. to become four times bigger in value or number; to cause (something) to become four times bigger

erosion – n. the gradual destruction of something by natural forces (such as water, wind, or ice); the process by which something is eroded¹² or worn away

pesticide⁴ – n. a chemical that is used to kill animals or insects that damage plants or crops

emissions – n. something sent out or given off

eliminate – v. to remove (something that is not wanted or needed); to get rid of (something)

variety – n. difference, not the same

nutritionist – n. a person whose job is to give advice on how food affects your health

focus – n. the center of interest or attention ?

calorie – n. a unit of heat used to indicate the amount of energy that foods will produce in the human body

consume – v. to take in; to finish; to eat or drink

yield – n. the amount that is produced by a plant, farm, etc.

1 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。

2 nutritional   

adj.营养的，滋养的

参考例句：

• A diet lacking in nutritional value will not keep a person healthy.缺乏营养价值的饮食不能维持人的健康。
• The labels on food products give a lot of information about their nutritional content.食品上的标签提供很多关于营养成分的信息。

3 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

4 pesticide   

n.杀虫剂，农药

参考例句：

• The pesticide was spread over the vegetable plot.菜田里撒上了农药。
• This pesticide is diluted with water and applied directly to the fields.这种杀虫剂用水稀释后直接施用在田里。

5 pesticides   

n.杀虫剂( pesticide的名词复数 )；除害药物

参考例句：

• vegetables grown without the use of pesticides 未用杀虫剂种植的蔬菜
• There is a lot of concern over the amount of herbicides and pesticides used in farming. 人们对农业上灭草剂和杀虫剂的用量非常担忧。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

7 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

8 dietitian   

n.营养学家

参考例句：

• You can seek the advice of a nutritionist or dietitian.你可以征求营养师或饮食专家的意见。
• I have no doubt she would make a good dietitian.毫无疑问她会成为优秀的营养学家。

9 dense   

a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。

10 density   

n.密集，密度，浓度

参考例句：

• The population density of that country is 685 per square mile.那个国家的人口密度为每平方英里685人。
• The region has a very high population density.该地区的人口密度很高。

11 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

12 eroded   

adj. 被侵蚀的，有蚀痕的 动词erode的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The cliff face has been steadily eroded by the sea. 峭壁表面逐渐被海水侵蚀。
• The stream eroded a channel in the solid rock. 小溪在硬石中侵蚀成一条水道。