City Gardening Expands in US During Pandemic
2021-08-27
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1On pieces of unused land in the Bronx, gardeners from many neighborhoods work together to make more than 12 farm hubs.
2The Bronx is an area in the northern part of New York City.
3The gardeners are combining efforts for their community gardens and harvests.
4Years ago, some found that, together, their small gardens could grow enough produce to make a lot of hot sauce.
5So, they shared harvests to create a product called Bronx Hot Sauce.
6Profits from the sales are reinvested in their communities.
7Throughout the pandemic, the farm hubs of the Bronx have again proven their strength.
8They are producing leafy green vegetables and root crops like garlic, for example.
9"The trick is: How can we learn from the pandemic so that we become [truly] resilient?" says Raymond Figueroa-Reyes.
10He is president of the New York City Community Garden Coalition.
11The Bronx's farm hubs are part of an urban gardening movement across the country.
12The gardeners are seeking to empower their communities by urging them to grow their own food.
13When the pandemic hit, urban farming expanded widely and became highly productive.
14Many urban and rural areas in the U.S. have little access to healthy, fresh food.
15These areas usually have high rates of disease, such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
16Millions of Americans live in neighborhoods without healthy food.
17And unhealthy fast food is everywhere.
18In cities, some community leaders use terms like "food prisons" to describe this lack of fresh food as part of deeper issues of race and equity.
19Ron Finley of Los Angeles has been gardening in the city for several years.
20He says, "Growing your own food is like printing your own money."
21 Finley runs the nonprofit organization Ron Finley Project.
22"It's not just about food, it's about freedom. It's our revolution," he told the Associated Press.
23Finley grew up in South Central Los Angeles, where he says he had to drive 45 minutes just to get a fresh tomato.
24His efforts to rebuild communities through gardening include planting crops on deserted land.
25Finley says fast-food restaurants are "killing more people in our communities" than guns.
26"When you plant a seed," it will reproduce, he said. It's about currency.
27"It's a valuable resource. That's empowering. It's about more than food."
28In the Bronx, Karen Washington has spent several years pushing urban farming forward.
29She helped organize the pepper-growing that led to Bronx Hot Sauce.
30The company they work with now also makes hot sauce with community-grown peppers from other U.S. cities.
31"Healthy food is a human right, along with clean water," Washington said.
32She is a member of the supervisory group from the New York Botanical Garden and has assisted neighbor-hoods in starting community gardens.
33Washington also has helped launch City Farms Market.
34It brings low-cost fresh fruits and vegetables to a weekly Bronx farmers' market.
35Washington says COVID-19 made a lot of people want to grow their own food.
36"If we are going to fight viruses," she said, "we need to start eating healthy."
37Figueroa-Reyes agrees.
38He said there is a great effort to organize more farm hubs and get the fresh food to where it is needed most.
39Through its Bronx Green-Up program, or BGU, the New York Botanical Garden has long offered support to community gardens.
40When the pandemic hit, it organized online meetings to help solve issues.
41And BGU provided more than 10,000 small herb and vegetable plants.
42Early in the pandemic, the program leaders realized "that food insecurity has always been a big issue in the Bronx," says Ursula Chanse.
43She is the program's director.
44"There's definitely a lot of community gardening interest now, and more urban farm spaces," Chanse says.
45I'm Alice Bryant.
1On pieces of unused land in the Bronx, gardeners from many neighborhoods work together to make more than 12 farm hubs. The Bronx is an area in the northern part of New York City. 2The gardeners are combining efforts for their community gardens and harvests. 3Years ago, some found that, together, their small gardens could grow enough produce to make a lot of hot sauce. So, they shared harvests to create a product called Bronx Hot Sauce. Profits from the sales are reinvested in their communities. 4Throughout the pandemic, the farm hubs of the Bronx have again proven their strength. They are producing leafy green vegetables and root crops like garlic, for example. 5"The trick is: How can we learn from the pandemic so that we become [truly] resilient?" says Raymond Figueroa-Reyes. He is president of the New York City Community Garden Coalition. 6The Bronx's farm hubs are part of an urban gardening movement across the country. The gardeners are seeking to empower their communities by urging them to grow their own food. When the pandemic hit, urban farming expanded widely and became highly productive. 7Many urban and rural areas in the U.S. have little access to healthy, fresh food. These areas usually have high rates of disease, such as high blood pressure and diabetes. 8Millions of Americans live in neighborhoods without healthy food. And unhealthy fast food is everywhere. In cities, some community leaders use terms like "food prisons" to describe this lack of fresh food as part of deeper issues of race and equity. 9Ron Finley of Los Angeles has been gardening in the city for several years. He says, "Growing your own food is like printing your own money." Finley runs the nonprofit organization Ron Finley Project. "It's not just about food, it's about freedom. It's our revolution," he told the Associated Press. 10Finley grew up in South Central Los Angeles, where he says he had to drive 45 minutes just to get a fresh tomato. His efforts to rebuild communities through gardening include planting crops on deserted land. 11Finley says fast-food restaurants are "killing more people in our communities" than guns. 12"When you plant a seed," it will reproduce, he said. It's about currency. "It's a valuable resource. That's empowering. It's about more than food." 13In the Bronx, Karen Washington has spent several years pushing urban farming forward. She helped organize the pepper-growing that led to Bronx Hot Sauce. The company they work with now also makes hot sauce with community-grown peppers from other U.S. cities. 14"Healthy food is a human right, along with clean water," Washington said. 15She is a member of the supervisory group from the New York Botanical Garden and has assisted neighbor-hoods in starting community gardens. Washington also has helped launch City Farms Market. It brings low-cost fresh fruits and vegetables to a weekly Bronx farmers' market. 16Washington says COVID-19 made a lot of people want to grow their own food. "If we are going to fight viruses," she said, "we need to start eating healthy." 17Figueroa-Reyes agrees. 18He said there is a great effort to organize more farm hubs and get the fresh food to where it is needed most. 19Through its Bronx Green-Up program, or BGU, the New York Botanical Garden has long offered support to community gardens. When the pandemic hit, it organized online meetings to help solve issues. And BGU provided more than 10,000 small herb and vegetable plants. 20Early in the pandemic, the program leaders realized "that food insecurity has always been a big issue in the Bronx," says Ursula Chanse. She is the program's director. 21"There's definitely a lot of community gardening interest now, and more urban farm spaces," Chanse says. 22I'm Alice Bryant. 23The Associated Press reported this story. Alice Bryant adapted it for Learning English. Susan Shand was the editor. 24___________________________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26Hub - n. the central and most active part or place 27Sauce - n. a thick liquid that is eaten with or on food to add flavor to it 28Resilient - n. able to become strong, healthy, or successful again after something bad happens 29Access - n. a way of being able to use or get something 30Print - v. to use a machine to produce books, newspapers, money, et cetera (gerund form: printing) 31Pepper - n. a hollow vegetable that is usually red, green, or yellow and that is eaten raw or cooked 32Tomato - n. a round, soft, red fruit that is eaten raw or cooked and that is often used in salads, sandwiches and sauces 33Currency - n. the money that a country uses 34Herb - n. a plant or a part of a plant that is used as medicine or to give flavor to food