VOA慢速英语--非洲南部数百万民众面临食品短缺威胁

AS IT IS 2016-09-10 Millions Across Southern Africa Face Food “Insecurity” 非洲南部数百万民众面临食品短缺威胁 

Almost 40 million people in southern Africa are expected to face food “insecurity” in early 2017.

That number comes from the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Chimimba David Phiri serves as FAO Subregional Coordinator¹ for Southern Africa. He said "The high levels of unemployment, and sluggish² economies, means that the main way people are able to access food is through what they themselves produce.”

“Assisting them to do this will provide lifesaving support in a region where at least 70 percent of people rely on agriculture for their livelihoods⁴,” he said.

Millions of people across southern Africa are dealing⁵ with food shortages because of dry weather conditions. Scientists have linked the drought to the weather event known as El Nino.

FAO officials say southern Africa is experiencing its most severe drought in 35 years, while prices for maize⁶ and other crops have risen.

Officials said 23 million people “urgently need support to produce enough food to feed themselves,” so they are not dependent on humanitarian⁷ assistance until the middle of 2018. Farmers must be able to plant by October.

“Failure to do so will result in another reduced harvest in March 2017, severely⁸ affecting food and nutrition security and livelihoods in the region,” FAO officials warned.

In Zimbabwe, the U.N. agency is helping⁹ farmers hurt by the dry weather. Last month, FAO started giving biofortified maize and bean seeds to farmers. Those seeds are designed to produce crops high in valuable nutrients¹¹.

Agricultural experts say a good harvest is necessary next March to help families escape the country’s food crisis.

“We have had two bad (growing) seasons, and a lot of farmers do not have adequate seeds,” said FAO’s David Phiri. “We need to support the farmers to have the seed that they need for them to grow this season, and also to avoid a problem of having continued humanitarian support.”

In Zimbabwe, many children are not getting enough to eat. In March, the U.N. Children’s Fund said the country is facing its worst child malnutrition¹² rates in 15 years. Rural areas have been hit hard.

Now, farmers are getting the seeds designed to produce crops with more nutrients.

Mirriam Chagweja is a farmer from Silobela, about 300 kilometers southwest of Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital. She planted some of the fortified¹⁰ maize and beans in her field in February. She received her seeds as part of a program supported by the British government. Britain is also providing financial support for the FAO program.

“I would encourage others to go on board and join,” Chagweja said. She said she got more beans from these seeds compared to the other kinds of beans.

The seed program is targeting about 127,000 small farm households in eight areas. Then it will move out to other parts of the country, FAO officials said.

Words in This Story

sluggish – adj. slow

livelihood³ – n. way to make a living

drought – n. a severe lack of rain and water

biofortified – adj. crop that has been created to have higher levels of nutrients

adequate – adj. enough

malnutrition – n. not getting enough nutrition to be healthy

fortified – adj. strengthened

1 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

2 sluggish   

adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的

参考例句：

• This humid heat makes you feel rather sluggish.这种湿热的天气使人感到懒洋洋的。
• Circulation is much more sluggish in the feet than in the hands.脚部的循环比手部的循环缓慢得多。

3 livelihood   

n.生计，谋生之道

参考例句：

• Appropriate arrangements will be made for their work and livelihood.他们的工作和生活会得到妥善安排。
• My father gained a bare livelihood of family by his own hands.父亲靠自己的双手勉强维持家计。

4 livelihoods   

生计，谋生之道( livelihood的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• First came the earliest individualistic pioneers who depended on hunting and fishing for their livelihoods. 走在最前面的是早期的个人主义先驱者，他们靠狩猎捕鱼为生。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• With little influence over policies, their traditional livelihoods are threatened. 因为马赛族人对政策的影响力太小，他们的传统生计受到了威胁。

5 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

6 maize   

n.玉米

参考例句：

• There's a field planted with maize behind the house.房子后面有一块玉米地。
• We can grow sorghum or maize on this plot.这块地可以种高粱或玉米。

7 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

8 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

9 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

10 fortified   

adj. 加强的

参考例句：

• He fortified himself against the cold with a hot drink. 他喝了一杯热饮御寒。
• The enemy drew back into a few fortified points. 敌人收缩到几个据点里。

11 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 malnutrition   

n.营养不良

参考例句：

• In Africa, there are a lot of children suffering from severe malnutrition.在非洲有大批严重营养不良的孩子。
• It is a classic case of malnutrition. 这是营养不良的典型病例。