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Work starts early at Sprouting Farms in this rural region of West Virginia.
在西弗吉尼亚农村地区，发芽农场很早就开工了。
Employees handpick the organic produce, rinse, prepare and box it up on site, ready to distribute to area customers.
员工精心挑选有机产品，进行清洗，并在现场打包，准备分销给当地顾客。
The farm also serves as a training center for aspiring farmers who want to learn how to grow and market sustainable produce.
该农场还是有志向农民的培训中心，那些希望学习如何种植和促销可持续产品的农民。
The challenge is making that process profitable, says project director Fritz Boettner.
挑战是让这一过程有利可图，项目主管弗里茨·博特纳如是说。
In order to improve the bottom line for the farmer, we have to keep what I would call the food hub costs down.
为了实现农民的底线，我们需要让我称之为“食品中心”的成本降低。
So that's the cost of aggregation, distribution, marketing, all those things.
那么聚集，分销以及促销的成本也就降低了。
And that, he adds, takes broadband connectivity, which is limited or unavailable in rural areas such as this.
他补充道这就需要宽带连接，在农村地区的连接受到局限或是没有宽带，比如这里。
Right now I would say like half of our farmers maybe do not have access to solid internet
目前应该说，一半农民或许都没有可靠的互联网连接，
or even cellphone communication to make these types of transactions happen.
甚至都没有电话通讯，所有种类的交易都需要这些来实现。
In the town of Hinton, a 30-minute drive from Sprouting Farms, connectivity is not an issue.
在西顿镇，距离发芽农场车程30分钟处，连接就不是问题。
Once a thriving railroad community, the town now depends on high-speed internet to connect with the outside world.
这里曾是繁荣的铁道社区，如今该城依靠高速互联网来与世界联络。
Ken Allman says his main online business venture, which connects hospitals and physicians around the world, would not exist without that access.
肯·阿尔曼称他的主要在线商机就是连接全球的医院和医生，如果没有连接这些是不可能的。
The fact that our team of people in Hinton, West Virginia, are working with people in Mumbai, India, or in Tel Aviv, Israel,
我们在西弗吉尼亚西顿的团队，正在和印度孟买或是以色列特拉维夫的人合作，
to solve problems in our field across the U.S. speaks to the magic of what broadband and mobile can do in a small community.
来解决全美这一领域的问题，这表明了小社区中宽带和移动的魔力。
Joe Brouse agrees. As executive director of the New River Gorge Regional Development Authority,
乔·布劳斯同意，他是新河谷地区发展局的执行总裁，
his job is to help stimulate and promote economic development in the region.
他的工作是帮助刺激和发展当地经济。
But he says lack of connectivity is hindering that objective.
但他称没有连接阻碍了这一目标的实现。
Businesses expect it. Households expect it. If people want to live here, they need to have access.
企业希望连接，住户期望连接，如果人们想住在这里，他们需要连接。
It's an aspect of being in the modern world.
这是生活在现代世界的一个方面。
The topography of the state and low population levels are among the reasons why affordable broadband is lacking, he says.
他说该州的技术和低人口水平是缺少经济型宽带的原因之一。
But he remains hopeful. Our economic development agency works with the state of West Virginia,
但他还是充满希望，我们的经济发展局正在与西弗吉尼亚州合作，
to look at creative solutions that might involve a mixture of grant and loan programs,
寻找创新型办法，或许会包括拨款和贷款项目，
to entities that can own the fiber and help with the delivery system.
寻求那些拥有光纤实体的帮助，来帮助运作传送系统。
He points to the town of Hinton as an ideal model.
他指出西顿镇是一个理想的模型。
By many standards, it's a small place, but it's actually ahead of the game in terms of providing broadband.
从很多标准来看，这是一个小地方，但从提供宽带来看，这里已经领先了。
That's the story we want to tell all over the state in rural Appalachia.
我想把这个故事讲给该州所有位于阿巴拉契亚乡村地区的人们听。
That's encouraging news for Fritz Boettner.
这对于弗里茨·博特纳如是个鼓舞人心的消息。
If I'm thinking about the future, and we're gonna grow these farmers, and they're gonna be doing more,
如果我们在考虑未来，我们需要去发展农民，他们需要做的更多，
we want more farmers in the network. That connectivity issue needs to be dealt with.
这个网络上需要更多农民，网络连接问题必须得到解决。
Julie Taboh, VOA news, Summers County, West Virginia
朱莉·塔布，VOA新闻西弗吉尼亚萨默斯县报道
