VOA慢速英语2019 荷兰种子学家获世界粮食奖

World Food Prize Goes to Dutch Seed Developer

A seed expert who brought high quality vegetable seeds to more many countries, was awarded the 2019 World Food Prize on Monday.

一位将优质蔬菜种子带往多个国家的种子专家获得2019年度世界粮食奖。

Simon Groot of the Netherlands is credited with introducing high-quality, disease-resistant vegetable seeds to more than 60 countries including the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia.

荷兰的西蒙·格罗特（Simon Groot）因将优质、抗病的蔬菜种子引进菲律宾、泰国、印度尼西亚等60多个国家而备受好评。

Developing seeds has been the Groot family business for a long time. He is the sixth generation of, what is called, a seedsman. He began his search to create better vegetable seeds to help farmers in Southeast Asia in 1981. He was 47 and his family’s company had just been taken over by a larger corporation.

长期以来，格罗特家族企业一直从事种子研发业务。他被誉为第六代种子传播者。1981年，他开始尝试培育更优良的蔬菜种子帮助东南亚的农民。当时他47岁，家族公司刚刚被一家更大的公司收购。

Sixteen years earlier, he had made his first trip to Indonesia. There, Groot learned that vegetable seeds which were developed for the moderate climate of Europe, did poorly when planted in the hot tropics. He thought there was a great possibility to introduce hybrid vegetables to the area. The area lacked vegetable seed developers who were trying to create hybrids for the local climate.

16年前，他第一次到印度尼西亚考察。在那里，格罗特了解到，为欧洲温带气候研制的种子在热带地区时生长的效果很不理想。他认为，很有可能会将杂交蔬菜引进该地区。这个地区缺乏为当地气候培育杂交种子的蔬菜种子研发商。

“It was neither charity nor business. It was a passion for good seeds,” said Groot. Now 85, he said developing seeds has always concerned him: “I noticed the seed quality in that part of world was so much below our standards and below achievable standards.” He added that he “could not stand” that the farmers there did not have better seeds.

格罗特说“这既不是公益也不是做生意。这是基于对优良种子的热情”。现年85岁的他表示，研发种子一直困扰着我：“我注意到那个地区的种子质量远远低于我们的标准，也低于可达到的标准”。他补充说，“无法忍受”那里的农民得不到更好的种子。

At the time, farmers in Southeast Asia usually saved seeds from season to season. That was because the seeds available for sale were often old. Those seeds were usually from Europe or North America and did not grow well in their tropical climate. This meant that the farmers ended up with smaller crops, and lower quality that changed greatly from season to season. The plants also could easily become infected with diseases.

当时，东南亚的农民通常每季都会保留种子。那是因为供出售的种子通常积压很久。这些种子大都来自欧洲或者北美，并且在当地的热带气候中长势欠佳。这意味着农民的收成更少、质量更低并且一季比一季差。这些植株也很容易感染疾病。

Groot partnered with seed trader Benito Domingo of the Philippines. They put together a team of seed researchers and growers from Wageningen University in the Netherlands and the University of the Philippines. Within a few years, they developed a hybrid bitter gourd that sold successfully. Then they adapted a tomato plant, followed by eggplants, pumpkins and leafy vegetables.

格罗特与菲律宾种子交易商Benito Domingo合作。他们组建了一支由荷兰瓦赫宁根大学和菲律宾大学的种子研究员和种植者组成的团队。几年内，他们研制出一种十分畅销的杂交苦瓜。然后他们改造了番茄植物，接着是茄子，南瓜和绿叶蔬菜。

The early successes led to the start of the East-West Seed Company, which now has more than 970 improved seeds of 60 vegetable crops.

早期的成功推动了东西方种子公司的成立，该公司目前拥有60种蔬菜作物的970多种改良种子。

Over the past 40 years, the discoveries have led to the creation of a tropical vegetable seed industry aimed at small farmers. The tropical seeds are now spreading into Asia, Africa and Latin America.

在过去的40年里，这些发现催生了面向小农户的热带蔬菜种子产业。这种热带种子已经传播到了亚洲，非洲和拉丁美洲。

It is estimated that the company’s seeds are used by 20 million farmers each year in more than 60 countries, said Kenneth Quinn, the former U.S. ambassador to Vietnam. He has been the president of the Des Moines, Iowa-based World Food Prize Foundation since 2000.

前美国驻越南大使肯尼斯·奎因表示，据估计，每年60多个国家的2000万农民在使用这家公司研制的种子。他自2000年以来一直担任爱荷华州得梅因世界粮食奖基金会主席。

Of Groot, Quinn said, “he’s a truly remarkable individual with worthy accomplishments that should be recognized.”

肯尼斯·奎因表示，“他是一位真正了不起的人，他的伟大成就值得获得肯定。”

The award was announced during a ceremony at the U.S. Department of State hosted by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

该奖项是在美国国务卿迈克·蓬佩奥主持的美国国务院举行的仪式上宣布的。

“The remarkable improvements made in these tropical vegetable seeds helped small farmers in developing nations produce more food and importantly get more income for themselves and their families,” Pompeo said. He added that the seeds fight hunger and help increase economic growth.

蓬佩奥说：“这些热带蔬菜种子极大的改良帮助发展中国家的小农户生产更多的食物，更重要的是为他们自己和家人带来更多收入。”他补充说，这些种子用来对抗饥饿、帮助促进经济增长。

Groot will receive the $250,000 World Food Prize during an award ceremony at the Iowa Capitol on October 17.

格罗特将于10月17日在爱荷华州议会大厦举行的颁奖典礼上被授予25万美元的世界粮食奖。

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Norman Borlaug started the prize in 1986 to recognize people who have improved the quality and availability of food.

诺贝尔和平奖获得者诺曼·博洛格于1986年创立了该奖项，旨在表彰那些提高粮食质量和可用性的人。

Words in This Story

tropics – n. the part of the world that is near the equator where the weather is very warm

hybrid – n. an animal or plant that is produced from two animals or plants of different kinds

charity – n. the act of giving money, food, or other kinds of help to people who are poor and sick

passion – n. a strong feeling of enthusiasm or excitement for something or about doing something

standard – n. a level of quality, achievement, etc., that is considered acceptable or desirable

accomplishment – n. something done, achieved, or accomplished successfully

remarkable – adj. unusual or surprising : likely to be noticed