C 2 · politics & society

How Urbane Farming Saved a Dallas Community

I’m so grateful to have found this video by Freethink, that will not only provide my students with the opportunity to speak about community problems, but it is also witnesses an inspiring approach to dealing with poverty, famine and the feeling of hopelessness. It also proves that WE as CITIZENS CAN rethink how our system is harming people and set out to make great changes, above all, now in times of the pandemic, where many people, who were already living with hand to mouth, are desperately in need of solutions.

Lead-in

Before watching the video below, let’s do a couple of pre-listening activities.

  • What types of problems are common in your community? Here’s a quiz to help you remember some vocabulary. Click on the button below, read and flip the cards.
  • How many of the words on the cards address problems that affect your community and in what degree?
Created by blogdeserena

C1/C2 VOCABULARY QUIZ Social Issues

Choose the correct option or write the word

Activity by Serena

Very poor, without money.

A situation in which somebody treats a person unfairly in order to make them work more for less money.

The pandemic has resulted in e... for many workers.

The country was in the grip of (an) economic d_______

A lack of food during a long period of time in a region.

The unfair treatment of people that belong to a different race.

the unfair treatment of people, especially women, because of their sex.

s...

here's been an increase in juvenile ...

"Overcoming poverty is not an act of charity. It is an act of justice."

Nelson Mandela

The act of treating a person unfairly due to race, gender, age or social class.

d...

The fact of having no money, food and other things necessary for life.

'Homelessness and d.... are increasingly eroding families in our community.'

Refers to problems associated to having a place to live in.

.... problems

An area of a city where many people of the same race or background live, that are usually crowded, with bad living conditions.

g...

The c _ _ _ _ rate is rising.

The crime of living on the streets and begging from people.
v _ _ _ _ _ _

the fact of not having something that you need, like enough food, money or a home; the process that causes this

The unfair difference between groups of people in society where some have more opportunities than others.

0%

C1-C2 PRE-LISTENING How Urbane Farming Saved a Dallas Community

You are going to watch a video from Freethink. Listen and complete the sentences with the word(s) you hear. You will have seven different sentences to complete.

Source from Freethink - Activity by Serena Farr

 

Which of the problems below are mentioned in the video? There are two that you don't need.

0 votes, 0 avg
7

C1-C2 Listening How Urbane Farming Saved a Dallas Community

You are going to watch a video from Freethink. Listen and complete the sentences with the word(s) you hear. You will have seven different sentences to complete.

Source from Freethink 

Activity by Serena

 

1) A 95% of the households in the south of Dallas are formed by _________ families.

2) Instead of designing a programme that deals with a symptom of a problem, the
organisation chose a _

3) Daron Babcock compares the community's needs to a _________ where all the items leaned on one another.

4) In order to be able to sell their produce, they first had to rewrite the _________ for Dallas.

5) Patrick claims that the farm has given him a __________ and a purpose in life.

6) Babcock states that there should be an investment in resources more than allowing a situation to get worse and applying ___________ measures.

7) People now share time with each other at the urbane farm talking more about what they
have in ___________ than what makes them different.

3
Created by blogdeserena

Use of English

Word formation How urbane farming saved a Dallas community

Read the text and  complete with a form of the word in brackets.

Text adapted from Freethink

Activity by Serena

In an 1)... (POVERTY) community in South Dallas, urban farming is growing not only fresh food but new opportunities for residents. Sprouting 2)...(EXPECT) from the middle of the Bonton neighbourhood, Bonton Farms boasts more than 42 acres of land. Founder Daron Babcock was drawn to this 3)...(TREAD) community where he now 4) ...(SEE)  one of the largest urban farms in the United States.

In Dallas, one of the wealthiest cities in the world, the Bonton community and 48% of its residents suffer daily from the effects of urban poverty. To name a few, Bonton residents have 5)... (PROPORTION) high rates of incarceration, joblessness, disease, and a lack of transportation. Residents also suffer from a problem that's surprisingly common in urban locations - a lack of access to fresh, healthy food that's 6)...(AFFORD) as businesses tend to open in places where there are plenty of people with money to spend. After getting to know the people in this community, Daron Babcock moved into the neighbourhood and made it his mission to come up with a solution. That's when he started an urban farm in a vacant lot next to his house.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Urban farms are highly 7).... (BENEFIT) to cities and their residents. Any individual or organization that grows food or raises livestock in a city for purposes other than personal 8).... (CONSUME) can be considered an urban farmer.
Urban farming helps eliminate food deserts - areas where people hardly have access to fresh, healthy foods. A great 9).... (CONCENTRATE) of plants growing in a city also helps reduce carbon emissions. The green, 10)....(PAVE) space can even lower temperatures in cities and reduce flooding.
While urban farming benefits are plenty, Bonton Farms has taken the concept a step further by offering additional opportunities such as 11)....(HOUSE), urban farming jobs, nutrition programs, cooking classes, and more as it also incorporated  additional services designed to give community members a chance to 12) .... (COME) the symptoms of poverty and thrive.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.