VOA常速英语2016--难民身份的农民通过社区重建与美国的联系

Refugee 1 Farmers Reestablish Ties to the Land as They Connect to Community 难民身份的农民通过社区重建与美国的联系

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA — 

More than half of the refugees 2 who are resettled in the U.S. each year come from agricultural backgrounds. And they are bringing valuable farming skills as they rebuild their lives in their new communities.

Every Thursday morning, Dhan Subba and other refugee farmers clean and sort a variety of vegetables they have just harvested.

每个周四的早晨，Dhan Subba和其他难民身份的农民将他们刚刚收获的各种蔬菜清洁并分类好。

“I like to work on the farm because I can grow my own food and eat healthy,”

“我喜欢在农场工作，因为我能种植自己的食物，还能吃得健康。”

The Bhutanese refugee lived in a camp in Nepal for 18 years before he was admitted to the U.S. six years ago.

这位不丹的难民曾在尼泊尔的一个营地里生活了18年，在六年前被美国政府许可入境之前。

“I am glad that I can use the skills that I got from farming in Nepal and I am applying them here,”

“我很高兴能够把在尼泊尔学到的农耕技巧用在这里。”

Subba and other refugees from all over the world are participating in the International Rescue Committee’s New Roots program.The program, which uses vacant lots in urban areas for small-scale farming,started 10 years ago in San Diego, California.It has since spread to more than 20 cities across the country, including Charlottesville, Virginia.

Subba和其他来自世界各地的难民正在参与一个由国际救援委员会发起的“新根”项目。这个项目将城市地区的空地用于搭建小型农场，10年前就在加利福尼亚州的圣地亚哥开始实施。目前为止，项目已经在全国范围内覆盖了20多个城市，其中包括弗吉尼亚州的夏洛茨维尔。

“New Roots really has a lot of different parts.First and foremost 3, it’s a chance for people to use the skills that they’ve already had in gardening and farming. But it’s also a chance for people to meet their neighbors and interact 4 with the community and bring home healthy food.Now, we have almost nine acres of growing space all over the city,"

“实际上‘新根’项目有许多不同的部分。首要的是，它给难民提供了一个机会，让他们能够运用他们在园艺和农作方面已经掌握的技能。同时这也是一个让难民和邻居接触、和社区互动、把健康的食物带回家的机会。现在，我们在全市内有近九英亩的土地可以使用。”

These farmers grow a wide variety of produce--some of which are common back home but unfamiliar 5 in American grocery stores.

这些农民所种植的农作物品种丰富，其中一些在他们的家乡很普通，但在美国的杂货店里却不常见。

As part of its New Roots program, IRC also offers the Micro Producer Academy,where refugees can learn sustainable farming and small business skills,resulting in an additional source of income.

作为“新根”项目的一部分，国际救援委员会还向难民提供到“微商”学院学习的机会，在那里他们可以学习可持续性农耕的知识和经营小型生意的技巧，这给予了他们额外的收入来源。

“What we do there is take the skills and knowledge that everybody has and talk about how to apply it to the US.A lot of people have grown on very big space,and here you have to grow on very small space. We also talk about marketing 6, and pricing, and the seasons in the U.S.,”

“我们在那里所做的，是将每个人所拥有的技能和知识整合到一起，然后商量如何将它们应用到美国。许多人以前在大型农场里种植，而在这里他们必须种在一个很小的空间里。我们还会讨论美国的市场、价格还有季节。”

The refugees sell their produce directly to local restaurants.

这些难民会将农作物直接卖给当地的饭店。

“Their produce is exceptional 7.You can tell that they spend a lot of time, a lot of care, a lot of love goes into whatever they grow,”

“他们种出来的农产品与众不同。你可以分辨出来，他们在这些农产品上花了很长的时间、灌注了很多的心思和爱意。”

They also transform empty lots like this one into weekly vibrant 8 markets where low income neighbors, especially refugees, can buy fresh produce at affordable 9 prices.But they are not the only customers.

他们还会在空地上，就像这里，搭建起生气勃勃的礼拜菜市，以便低收入的邻居，尤其是难民们能够以合理的价格买到新鲜的蔬菜。但是难民并不是唯一的客人。

“I come every week.The vegetables are beautiful and freshly picked.I have lots of recipes to use for them, and the prices are extremely reasonable,” The refugees may not be able to quit their jobs to farm full-time 10, Brooke Ray said,but the program is helping 11 them build strong roots in their new communities.

“我每个星期都会来。这些蔬菜很漂亮，都是新鲜采摘的。我有很多菜谱都可以用到它们，它们的价格也是极其合理的。”Brooke Ray说虽然难民们或许不能辞掉他们的工作到农场里全职工作，但是这个项目正在帮助他们在新的社区里很好地生根立足。