2006年VOA标准英语-Kenyan Coast Gets Shot of Vitamin A With Uncomm

By Cathy Majtenyi
Nairobi
31 May 2006

 
Members of a community group in Kwale District on Kenya's coast show off some of the many local dishes that can be made with the beta-carotene-rich sweet potato
  
The orange-fleshed sweet potato is rich in beta-carotene and helps to eliminate Vitamin A deficiencies in children and adults, a major health concern in Africa.  While widely available in the West, this type of potato is not as common in Africa.  During the past year, researchers from Kenya and other countries have introduced a new, bio-fortified¹ type of orange-fleshed sweet potato as a way of reducing Vitamin-A deficiencies.

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It is orange-fleshed sweet potato day at Lukore Primary School in the Shimba Hills of Kenya's coastal² district of Kwale.

A visiting delegation³ of researchers, government officials and journalists is being treated to a variety of entertainment, all celebrating the virtues⁴ of the humble⁵ orange-fleshed sweet potato, which is among the highest natural sources of beta-carotene, a precursor⁶ to Vitamin A.

Jackson Nzivo Mwaniki, a teacher at Lukore Primary School, stands in front of a plot where he and students grow sweet potatoes   
  
In the school's compound is a small plot with rows and rows of orange-fleshed sweet potato plants.  Teacher Jackson Nzivo Mwaniki explains that he and the students plant orange sweet potatoes and distribute the vines to parents and other homesteads in the area.

Mwaniki says that his school was chosen last year mainly because of the school uniform that the students wear, and that local residents are happy with the orange sweet potato.

"The shorts and skirts are green, while the shirts are orange," he said.  "That is why it [the school] was given first priority.  When they chose us, they saw even the area itself, it is a potato-growing area.  When it was introduced to this area, they welcomed it very highly.  The children were very happy about it, and they even started planting [the sweet potato vines] in their homes."

Lukore Primary School is one of several demonstration⁷ sites that researchers have chosen in the district to educate residents about the nutritional⁸ value of the orange-fleshed sweet potato and encourage them to include the food in their diets.

According to the World Health Organization, children who suffer from vitamin-A deficiency suffer a dramatically increased risk of death and illness as a consequence.  In communities where the deficiency exists, improving vitamin-A status can, on average, reduce young child mortality by 23 percent and measles⁹ mortality by 50 percent.

Students at Lukore Primary School in Kwale perform dances, skits¹⁰, poems, and even rap songs to pay homage¹¹ to the sweet potato   
  
About 45 schools in the Kwale district grow and distribute the vines to households.  Roughly 40 percent of households in the district grow the orange-fleshed sweet potato.

Sammy Agili is a sweet potato breeder with the Nairobi office of the International Potato Center.  He says that last year his center and the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute introduced eight varieties of orange-fleshed sweet potatoes into Kwale District.

Up until then, people grew and ate predominantly white-fleshed sweet potatoes.

Agili explains that scientists are able to breed into the sweet potato varieties different levels of beta-carotene, sugar, and what is known as dry matter content (DM), which determines how moist or dry the sweet potato is.

"Consumers have different likes," he said.  "For example, the children would like those varieties that are low DM and high sugar content.  Now when you look at the mothers, their preference is quite different from men also.  Men would like those varieties that have high DM, but slightly low sugar content.  So we had a range of varieties which we introduced to them to select."

Agili says Kwale District has one of the highest malnutrition¹² and Vitamin-A deficiency rates in Kenya, and that by introducing the different varieties of the orange-fleshed sweet potato, scientists are hoping to improve the area's nutritional situation.

 
One of several posters at Lukore Primary School that pays homage to the sweet potato 
  
Young children and pregnant and lactating women are most affected¹³ by Vitamin-A deficiency, which weakens the immune system and increases the chances of getting measles, malaria¹⁴, diarrhea and eye conditions.  About 70 percent of pre-school children in Kenya are believed to be Vitamin-A deficient¹⁵, one of the highest rates in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Scientists are able to breed desirable nutritious¹⁶ characteristics into the orange-fleshed sweet potato through a process called "bio-fortification". 

Bonnie McClafferty is communications coordinator¹⁷ for Harvest Plus, an U.S.-based international research program that aims to decrease malnutrition by increasing the levels of vitamins and minerals in crops.

McClafferty explains that most poor people cannot afford to purchase a large variety of foods that may contain different vitamins and minerals, nor buy vitamin supplements, nor purchase food that is commercially fortified such as iodized salt.

"The concept of bio-fortification is that you use the powers of modern agricultural plant breeding to breed nutrition directly into the staple¹⁸ foods that poor people eat," she said.  "The reason why this is important is that the predominant food of the undernourished are staple foods, up to 70 percent of the diet consists of either wheat or maize¹⁹ or cassava or beans, yet there is not a lot of micronutrients in those staple foods."

The International Potato Center's Agili says researchers will need to do follow-up studies in a year or two to see the impact of the orange-fleshed sweet potato on Kwale District's nutritional situation.

1 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。

2 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

3 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

4 virtues   

美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处

参考例句：

• Doctors often extol the virtues of eating less fat. 医生常常宣扬少吃脂肪的好处。
• She delivered a homily on the virtues of family life. 她进行了一场家庭生活美德方面的说教。

5 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

6 precursor   

n.先驱者；前辈；前任；预兆；先兆

参考例句：

• Error is often the precursor of what is correct.错误常常是正确的先导。
• He said that the deal should not be seen as a precursor to a merger.他说该笔交易不应该被看作是合并的前兆。

7 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

8 nutritional   

adj.营养的，滋养的

参考例句：

• A diet lacking in nutritional value will not keep a person healthy.缺乏营养价值的饮食不能维持人的健康。
• The labels on food products give a lot of information about their nutritional content.食品上的标签提供很多关于营养成分的信息。

9 measles   

n.麻疹，风疹，包虫病，痧子

参考例句：

• The doctor is quite definite about Tom having measles.医生十分肯定汤姆得了麻疹。
• The doctor told her to watch out for symptoms of measles.医生叫她注意麻疹出现的症状。

10 skits   

n.讽刺文( skit的名词复数 )；小喜剧；若干；一群

参考例句：

• One of these skits, "The King of Beasts" resembles a traditional frontier prank. 一出滑稽短剧《兽王》酷似传统的边疆闹剧。 来自英汉非文学 - 民俗
• Kids can develop ad campaigns, commercials and skits to illustrate character traits. 孩子们会发动宣传运动，制作广告宣传片和幽默短剧来说明性格品质。 来自互联网

11 homage   

n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬

参考例句：

• We pay homage to the genius of Shakespeare.我们对莎士比亚的天才表示敬仰。
• The soldiers swore to pay their homage to the Queen.士兵们宣誓效忠于女王陛下。

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。

13 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

14 malaria   

n.疟疾

参考例句：

• He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
• Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。

15 deficient   

adj.不足的，不充份的，有缺陷的

参考例句：

• The crops are suffering from deficient rain.庄稼因雨量不足而遭受损害。
• I always have been deficient in selfconfidence and decision.我向来缺乏自信和果断。

16 nutritious   

adj.有营养的，营养价值高的

参考例句：

• Fresh vegetables are very nutritious.新鲜蔬菜富于营养。
• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。

17 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？

18 staple   

n.主要产物，常用品，主要要素，原料，订书钉，钩环；adj.主要的，重要的；vt.分类

参考例句：

• Tea is the staple crop here.本地产品以茶叶为大宗。
• Potatoes are the staple of their diet.土豆是他们的主要食品。

19 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。