A few years ago, a small plot in southeast Portland, Oregon, was an empty lot. Now, it's a densely-planted farm. Tomatoes are ripening on the vines and the lemon cucumbers are nice and juicy.
就在几年前，俄勒冈州波特兰市东南部的一个小角落几乎还是个不毛之地。 但是现在，这里却是一个浓密茂盛的农场。 藤上长满了成熟的西红柿，柠檬和黄瓜也长得饱满多汁。
David Beller, the farm's coordinator, is not happy with the fields. "Everyone come here, and feel how dry this is. I can't believe this stuff is even alive."
这个农场的协调员David Beller对这个地方的现状感到不满意。 他说：“来到这里的人们都会觉得这个地方太干燥了。 我真的不敢相信这里的员工是怎么存活下来的。”
Their translator says, "Oh, they thought that they doesn't have to put water in."
他们的翻译人员说：“他们觉得这里不需要引入水源”。
The farmers Beller is working with are refugees from Bhutan, a small, landlocked country in the Himalayan highlands, on China's southern border.
和Beller一起在这个农场里劳作的农民们都是从不丹逃到这里的难民。 不丹是一个很小的内陆国家，位于与中国南部边界接壤的喜马拉雅高原地区。
The refugees-turned-farmers arrived in Portland a couple of years ago and are now part of the New American Agriculture Program at MercyCorps Northwest. The group is known for its international development work, but a local division helps people in Washington state and Oregon.
这些难民几年前来到波特兰成为了农民。 而现在，他们成为了在MercyCorps西北部开展的新型美国农业项目中至关重要的一群人。 这群人因为他们对国际发展工作的重要性而被大家所熟知， 但是，是当地的一个部门给整个华盛顿州和俄勒冈州的人民都带来了利益。
"We started working with refugees, engaging them in urban agriculture in 2004, with the motivation that food is a connector, and there was growing interest in local food," says John Haines, who directs the local program. "And the refugees were coming with motivation, some skills in growing."
“从2004年开始我们就与这里的难民一起努力，设法让他们参与到城市农业建设中。 这个项目的主管John Haines说：食物是一个连接器，他们对本地食物的兴趣日渐浓厚， 因此这些难民的积极性也就提高了，他们的耕种技术也在不断地提高。”
The idea of small urban plots, where people can earn supplemental income close to their homes, is now a part of refugee resettlement programs all over the country. There are Somali Bantus farming in Boise, Idaho, and refugees from Burundi growing crops in Seattle, Washington.
让难民到一些郊外的小地区去劳作，使得他们可以在离家人不远的地方挣钱养家， 是遍及全国的难民安置项目的一部分。 来自索马里的班图人在爱达荷州建起了农场，来自布隆迪的难民们在华盛顿州的西雅图种起了庄稼。
When Bal Tiwari moved to Portland from a Nepalese refugee camp, he was excited to have the opportunity to farm again. In fact, he was just glad to discover that America had farms.
当Bal Tiwari从尼泊尔难民营搬到波特兰时， 他很高兴还能有机会从事耕作。 事实上，他是因为发现美国也有农场而感到高兴。
"He said that he never thought that he'll get an opportunity to work in the farm," says the translator who is interpreting for Tiwari. "Because they said that America doesn't have any kind of agriculture production, and he thought he'll get all the things from out of country."
Tiwari的翻译说：“他说，他从来没有想到自己居然会有机会在农场里工作。 因为他听别人说美国没有任何类型的农业生产， 所以他以为他所有的生活品都将要到国外去获取。”
Becoming an American farmer is a big adjustment for refugees. First, they speak very little English, and often have little formal education, which limits their ability to use most training materials. They also have to adapt to a different climate. Back in their home countries, many refugees practiced a casual subsistence agriculture, cultivating fruits and vegetables for their families. Here, they produce a marketable crop on dense, urban plots.
对这些难民而言，成为了美国农民意味着一个很大的转变。 首先，他们的英语不是很好，通常也没有受过什么正规教育，这使得大多数的耕种培训材料他们都没办法使用。 此外，他们还不得不去适应这里的气候。 当这些难民在自己祖国的时候，他们很多都懒散地从事着温饱型农业，也就是栽培水果和蔬菜以供家人食用。 但是来到美国后，他们在郊区大量地种植销路好的作物。
"For example, these farmers are really into planting beans spaced out farther than I like," farm manager David Beller says. "And they're convinced that it's the best way to grow beans, and they're easier to pick and better quality. And I'm convinced of exactly the opposite. So there's a healthy tension between different practices."
农场经理David Beller说：“比如说，这些农民们在种植豆类的时候喜欢把作物之间的距离隔得很远，我很不理解。 但是他们确信这是种植豆类作物最好的方法，因为这样采摘起来比较方便，而且生长的质量也比较好。 可是我的观念恰好相反。 因此，在这些不同的种植方法可以给我们带来有益的探索空间。”
The learning process doesn't end at the harvest. MercyCorps staff also teach farmers how to grade their crops for the American market and how to pack it so that it won't bruise. The hard work is paying off.
丰收的时候并不意味着探索学习的过程就结束了。 MercyCorps的工作人员也教导农夫如何针对美国市场来给农作物区分等级，以及怎样包装才不会使作物有擦伤。 这些努力都没有白费。
The Portland plots now produce enough vegetables to sell to local farmers' markets, a few restaurants and members of their Community-Supported Agriculture program. And the benefits go beyond the economic.
波特兰郊区现在的水果产量很充足，所以他们可以将其销售给当地的农贸市场，一些餐馆，以及支持这个农业项目的一些地区。 由此所带来的成效远远不只是经济方面的利益。
"They get some connectivity to the wider community. They're comfortable getting on a bus going across town, they get comfortable with selling at a market," director John Haines says. "So we find it's a way to bridge isolation as much as provide a modest income."
“他们和其他更宽阔的社区互通往来。 项目的主管John Haines说：“他们很乐于坐着公共汽车在城镇里穿梭，在市场里销售他们的作物。 所以这是一个既可以促使他们不与外界隔离，又能给他们提供一份不错的收入的好办法。”
And, of course, there are also the edible benefits, as a translator relays for Pabi Tiwari. "They are getting the fresh vegetables and the fresh fruits. They don't have to pay in market. It's kind of free food and fresh food."
Pabi Tiwari的翻译解释说：“当然在饮食方面对他们自己也是非常有益的。 他们收获的是新鲜的蔬菜和水果。 这样他们就不用到市场去买了。 从某种程度上将，那些是既免费又新鲜的食物。”
Although, as Nisha Basnet laments, it's not quite as good as back home. "We have a very sour tomato in Nepal, and here it is kind of sweet or something. It doesn't taste good like Nepal."
尽管如此，但是Nisha Basnet还是叹息着说这里没有他自己家乡好。 她说：“在尼泊尔，我们有一种非常酸的西红柿，但是这里的西红柿味道有点偏甜或者什么的， 反正没有尼泊尔的那种西红柿味道好。”
The Nepalese farmers hope that they'll someday be able to get seeds for their native tomatoes and beans, and grow them right here in the Northwest.
来自尼泊尔的农民们希望有朝一日能够得到来自他们祖国的西红柿和豆类作物的种子， 然后把它们就种在MercyCorps西北部的这片农场里。
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