Miss Hu lives in Dongguan, Guangdong Province. Her balcony is comparatively large and she uses it to grow vegetables. She is happy with her harvest.

"The tomatoes I grow on my balcony are delicious. They taste very different! I've compared them with tomatoes bought from the wet market. The ones I grow by myself have a stronger flavor. What's more, you don't need to spend too much time tending to the balcony vegetable patch. It's convenient. I often invite friends to come over and eat together. There are only 3 people in my family, so we can't eat all the vegetables on our own."

Growing your own vegetables, as Miss Hu does, is not only an attractive option for families, a number of enterprises have also started experimenting with balcony farming. Some enterprises are planning to use the roofs of their factory buildings to grow vegetables and flowers.



Market demand has effectively boosted balcony farming and gardening. Feng Yanquan, an individual who engages in the balcony farming business, says the market potential is huge.

"The factory building occupies one Chinese Mu, or one fifteenth of a hectare. The company can use the roof of the building, which is a big area to plant vegetables, fruits and flowers. This is a big business opportunity in China. The market for using roofs in this way has not been explored. I would say that 99 percent of rooftops haven't been explored."

In some foreign countries, balcony farming and roof gardening enjoy certain subsidies. In Germany, roof gardening and balcony farming is practiced on more than 80 percent of the country's buildings. In America and Japan, the practice is also very popular.

Feng Yanquan adds that China should look to the experiences of these countries.

"In some European countries, as well as many other countries, the roof is a perfect place for gardening. However, in China, most rooftops in the cities are empty. We hope that our products, the flowers and vegetables, will not only reduce the urban heat-island effect which results in major cities, but also lead to better air quality by reducing air pollution and carbon emissions."

However, unlike growing vegetables on arable farm land, efficient watering methods and soil hardening remain unsolved problems for this new urban industry.


词汇讲解：
1. harvest n. 收割, 收获; 收获季节, 收获期
例句：After the harvest, the peasants began to prepare the soil for seed.
收割后, 农民就开始整地以便播种。

2. delicious adj. 美味的, 可口的
例句：This dish is very delicious.
这道菜味道鲜美。

3. flavor n. 味,味道
例句：I think the flavor of fresh strawberries is out of this world.
我认为新鲜草莓的味道鲜美无比。

4. invite vt. 邀请;招待
例句：He invited several of his friends to the show.
他邀请了几个朋友去看表演。

5. boost vt. 促进, 改善, 激励
例句：We need a holiday to boost our spirits.
我们需要休假以激发士气。

6. potential n.潜力, 潜势, 可能性
例句：This new invention has an enormous sales potential.
这项新发明有巨大的销售潜力。

7. occupy vt. 占(时间,空间);占用;住
例句：The bathroom is occupied.
浴室有人在用。

8. explore vt. 探索; 探究; 仔细查看
例句：We must explore all the possibilities.
我们必须探讨所有的可能性。

9. subsidy n.补贴, 津贴, 补助金
例句：This industry depends for its survival on government subsidies.
这个行业靠政府津贴而得以维持。

10. reduce vt. 缩减, 减少; 降低
例句：We must try our best to reduce the likelihood of war.
我们必须尽最大努力减少战争的可能性。

短语讲解：
1. I've compared them with tomatoes bought from the wet market.

compare with (把…)与…相比
例句：How does your new house compare with your old one?
你的新房子和你的旧房子比起来怎样?

2. What's more, you don't need to spend too much time tending to the balcony vegetable patch.

tend to有...的倾向
例句：Modern furniture design tends to simplicity.
现代家具设计越来越简单。

3. I often invite friends to come over and eat together.

come over顺便来访
例句：Come over any time; I'm always in.
请随便什么时候来坐坐,我总在家。

4. Growing your own vegetables, as Miss Hu does, is not only an attractive option for families, a number of enterprises have also started experimenting with balcony farming.

experiment with以…做试验
例句：They experimented with a new material.
他们用新材料来做试验。

5. Feng Yanquan, an individual who engages in the balcony farming business, says the market potential is huge.

engage in参加; 从事; 忙于
例句：My family has been engaged in farming for generations.
我家几代都从事农业。

6. We hope that our products, the flowers and vegetables, will not only reduce the urban heat-island effect which results in major cities, but also lead to better air quality by reducing air pollution and carbon emissions.

result in引起, 导致; 以…为结局
例句：The flood resulted in a considerable reduction in production.
这次水灾造成相当大的减产。
lead to导致
例句：Smoking can lead to lung cancer
抽烟可能导致肺癌。