Why Are the Young Increasingly Embracing Urban Farming?为何现在的年轻人越发钟爱城市农业?
Recently, a growing number of young people in big cities have become interested in urban farming. Setting aside the pressures of their fast-paced metropolitan lives, they’re opting to spend free time cultivating grain, fruit and vegetable crops on rented plots on the outskirts, in small gardens in their homes, on their balconies or even in their offices. Urban farming is also becoming a hot topic on social media.
近来,越来越多大城市的年轻人对城市农业产生了兴趣。抛开快节奏都市生活带来的压力,他们选择把空闲时间花在郊区租来的土地上、家里的小花园里、阳台上甚至办公室里,来种植谷物、水果和蔬菜。都市农业也成为社交媒体上的热门话题。
Young urbanites’ enthusiasm for farm work is partly driven by curiosity and partly by the discovery of the value of labor through farming. The process of farming allows them to work hard and then harvest the fruits of their labor. Many of them feel that farming is a form of self-cultivation and a more meaningful leisure activity. As they become stronger physically, young people also begin to enjoy and feel refreshed from farm work.
城市年轻人对农活的热情,一方面是出于好奇心,另一方面是由于他们在务农过程中发现了劳动的价值。他们要经历辛勤的劳动过程,然后收获自己的劳动成果。他们中的许多人认为,务农是一种修养自我的方式,也是一种很有意义的休闲活动。当年轻人的身体变得更强壮时,他们也开始享受农活并感到精神焕发。
Busy urban life is somewhat eroding the physical and mental health of the young, making them feel marginalized and excluded. Sedentary office work hurts their health and psychological problems such as anxiety, depression, and stress are already posing a threat to individuals and society on the whole. Only by finding a suitable way to relax can one really escape these trouble.
繁忙的城市生活在某种程度上损害了年轻人的身心健康,使他们感到被边缘化和被排斥。久坐不动的办公室工作损害了他们的健康,焦虑、抑郁和压力等心理问题已经对个人和整个社会构成了威胁。只有找到一种合适的方式来放松,才能真正摆脱这些困扰。
Farm work adds color to what can otherwise be a dull urban life for young people. It also allows them to express their individuality and creativity, and helps develop a positive mindset. Everyone, young or old, needs to find ways to cope with the pressures of daily life and thus maintain a psychological balance, whether it’s reading, listening to music, traveling, meditation, or gardening.
对年轻人来说,农活为枯燥的城市生活增添了色彩。它还让他们表达自己的个性和创造力,并有助于培养积极的心态。每个人,无论老少,都需要找到应对日常生活压力的方法,无论是阅读、听音乐、旅行、冥想还是园艺,从而保持心理平衡。
Rather than using it as a method of escapism from the realities of urban life, young people are engaging in urban farming mostly because of their passion for it and because they have the desire to engage in new pursuits that interest them and enthusiastically embrace life.
年轻人从事都市农业,与其说是为了逃避现实的都市生活,不如说是因为他们对都市农业充满热情,因为他们渴望从事自己感兴趣的新追求,并热情地拥抱生活。
This group does deserve plaudits. However, some young people are engaging in urban farming with the sole purpose of attracting social media traffic, and they down tools and abandon their plots and crops as soon as they finish filming.
这一群体确实值得喝彩。然而,一些年轻人从事城市农业的唯一目的是吸引社交媒体流量,他们一完成拍摄就放下工具,放弃他们的土地和庄稼。
Wasting land and resources to accumulate fans should be neither applauded nor rewarded. We should all hold a basic reverence for the land as it is the source of our food.
浪费土地和资源来积累粉丝这一行为既不应该为之鼓掌也不应该奖励。我们都应该对土地怀有基本的敬畏之心,因为它是我们食物的来源。
Word Bank
opt /ɒpt/ v. 选择;挑选
erode /ɪ'rəʊd/ v. 损害;侵蚀
mindset /'maɪndset/ n. 观念模式;思维倾向
accumulate /ə'kjuːmjəleɪt/ v. 积累;积聚
reverence /'revərəns/ n. 尊敬;崇敬