Part 4 — Read the article. For questions 1–5, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best.
The Urban Farm Revolution
In cities around the world, a quiet revolution is taking place on rooftops, in car parks, and in converted warehouses. Urban farming — the practice of growing food in city spaces — has grown enormously over the past decade, driven partly by concerns about where our food comes from and partly by the desire of city-dwellers to connect with nature.
Maya Okafor, who runs a rooftop farm in central London, explains why she became involved. "I'd spent years working in an office with no windows," she says, "and I realised I had completely lost touch with the seasons. I didn't know when strawberries were in season or how long it takes for a lettuce to grow." After attending a community gardening workshop, she decided to convert the unused roof of her building into a small farm.
The results were more significant than she expected. Maya now sells her produce to three local restaurants and provides vegetables to a food bank. She also runs weekend workshops for children, which she describes as the most rewarding part of the project. "Most of the children have never seen soil before," she says. "Watching them understand where food comes from is extraordinary."
Experts argue that urban farms offer more than just food. Research suggests that green spaces in cities reduce stress, improve air quality, and encourage communities to come together. However, challenges remain. Space is expensive, water use is high, and it can be difficult to make urban farming commercially profitable. Critics point out that the yields from city farms are unlikely to make a meaningful contribution to feeding large populations.
Despite these concerns, interest in urban farming continues to grow. For Maya, the benefits go beyond food production. "This farm has changed my relationship with this city," she says. "I feel part of something now."