A2 RW Ch8 L3 · Food for All 🌱🌏

1The island of Singapore is mostly urban, with only about 250 acres of land used for agriculture. Because there is so little farmland, most of the island's food must be shipped in from other countries. But Jack Ng had a different idea. His company Sky Greens grows cabbage, lettuce, and other green vegetables in vertical greenhouses. Go into one of his greenhouses and you'll see rows of plants placed on A-shaped towers. Each tower has about 22 to 26 rows, which turn slowly — like a wheel — to reach the natural sunlight. Since these plants are indoors, there's less need for pesticides and less use of land and water. However, more vegetables are grown.

2Using less to grow more is what the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations wants the world to do. By 2050, the world population will reach 10 billion, according to the UN. That's almost 3 billion more people on Earth than we have today. As long as the population increases, more people will move to urban areas and earn more money. There will be a bigger demand for water and food — especially meat, vegetables, and fruit, which people eat more of when they have more money. Many worry that there won't be enough food for everyone. But agricultural experts disagree. They think there will be enough — if agricultural methods change.

3¹Like the FAO, researchers from Wageningen University and Research (WUR) in the Netherlands are leading the way. ²WUR is one of the world's best agricultural universities, and its professors work closely with entrepreneurs like Jack Ng to fix food problems. ³Consider how great the Dutch are at growing food. ⁴The Netherlands is small and only 1,000 miles from the Arctic Circle. ⁵However, the Dutch are one of the world's biggest exporters of potatoes, onions, and tomatoes. ⁶They, like Jack Ng, use greenhouses and other creative farming methods. ⁷For example, LED lighting is used so plants can grow 24 hours a day. ⁸Another method is hydroponic farming — the growing of plants in nutrient-rich water, not soil. ⁹Sustainable farming methods like rainwater irrigation, biological control, and natural fertilizer are also used. ¹⁰In addition, WUR has graduate students from more than 45 countries. Many students are working on sustainable agricultural projects in their home countries.

4Like FAO and WUR, supporters of sustainable agriculture around the world are hopeful about the future of food. They believe that if every country uses these new methods, there will be enough food for all, for many years to come.

1The island of Singapore is mostly urban, with only about 250 acres of land used for agriculture. Because there is so little farmland, most of the island's food must be shipped in from other countries. But Jack Ng had a different idea. His company Sky Greens grows cabbage, lettuce, and other green vegetables in vertical greenhouses. Go into one of his greenhouses and you'll see rows of plants placed on A-shaped towers. Each tower has about 22 to 26 rows, which turn slowly — like a wheel — to reach the natural sunlight. Since these plants are indoors, there's less need for pesticides and less use of land and water. However, more vegetables are grown.

2Using less to grow more is what the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations wants the world to do. By 2050, the world population will reach 10 billion, according to the UN. That's almost 3 billion more people on Earth than we have today. As long as the population increases, more people will move to urban areas and earn more money. There will be a bigger demand for water and food — especially meat, vegetables, and fruit, which people eat more of when they have more money. Many worry that there won't be enough food for everyone. But agricultural experts disagree. They think there will be enough — if agricultural methods change.

3¹Like the FAO, researchers from Wageningen University and Research (WUR) in the Netherlands are leading the way. ²WUR is one of the world's best agricultural universities, and its professors work closely with entrepreneurs like Jack Ng to fix food problems. ³Consider how great the Dutch are at growing food. ⁴The Netherlands is small and only 1,000 miles from the Arctic Circle. ⁵However, the Dutch are one of the world's biggest exporters of potatoes, onions, and tomatoes. ⁶They, like Jack Ng, use greenhouses and other creative farming methods. ⁷For example, LED lighting is used so plants can grow 24 hours a day. ⁸Another method is hydroponic farming — the growing of plants in nutrient-rich water, not soil. ⁹Sustainable farming methods like rainwater irrigation, biological control, and natural fertilizer are also used. ¹⁰In addition, WUR has graduate students from more than 45 countries. Many students are working on sustainable agricultural projects in their home countries.

4Like FAO and WUR, supporters of sustainable agriculture around the world are hopeful about the future of food. They believe that if every country uses these new methods, there will be enough food for all, for many years to come.

1The island of Singapore is mostly urban, with only about 250 acres of land used for agriculture. Because there is so little farmland, most of the island's food must be shipped in from other countries. But Jack Ng had a different idea. His company Sky Greens grows cabbage, lettuce, and other green vegetables in vertical greenhouses. Go into one of his greenhouses and you'll see rows of plants placed on A-shaped towers. Each tower has about 22 to 26 rows, which turn slowly — like a wheel — to reach the natural sunlight. Since these plants are indoors, there's less need for pesticides and less use of land and water. However, more vegetables are grown.

2Using less to grow more is what the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations wants the world to do. By 2050, the world population will reach 10 billion, according to the UN. That's almost 3 billion more people on Earth than we have today. As long as the population increases, more people will move to urban areas and earn more money. There will be a bigger demand for water and food — especially meat, vegetables, and fruit, which people eat more of when they have more money. Many worry that there won't be enough food for everyone. But agricultural experts disagree. They think there will be enough — if agricultural methods change.

3¹Like the FAO, researchers from Wageningen University and Research (WUR) in the Netherlands are leading the way. ²WUR is one of the world's best agricultural universities, and its professors work closely with entrepreneurs like Jack Ng to fix food problems. ³Consider how great the Dutch are at growing food. ⁴The Netherlands is small and only 1,000 miles from the Arctic Circle. ⁵However, the Dutch are one of the world's biggest exporters of potatoes, onions, and tomatoes. ⁶They, like Jack Ng, use greenhouses and other creative farming methods. ⁷For example, LED lighting is used so plants can grow 24 hours a day. ⁸Another method is hydroponic farming — the growing of plants in nutrient-rich water, not soil. ⁹Sustainable farming methods like rainwater irrigation, biological control, and natural fertilizer are also used. ¹⁰In addition, WUR has graduate students from more than 45 countries. Many students are working on sustainable agricultural projects in their home countries.

4Like FAO and WUR, supporters of sustainable agriculture around the world are hopeful about the future of food. They believe that if every country uses these new methods, there will be enough food for all, for many years to come.