VOA慢速英语20061205a

AGRICULTURE REPORT - Experts Say 'Lost' Crops Can Fight Hunger in AfricaBy Jerilyn Watson

Broadcast: Tuesday, December 05, 2006

This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

Scientists around the world are being urged to study and improve native vegetables in Africa. A report from the National Research Council in the United States says improving local crops could reduce hunger and poverty in Africa.

The report lists eighteen promising¹ crops that a committee of scientists chose out of hundreds of native plants. The scientists say plants like moringa, lablab and dika are not only good food resources. They can also grow in difficult climate and soil conditions.

The report, called Lost Crops of Africa, deals with vegetables. A similar study of grains was published in nineteen ninety-six. Soon to come is a report about fruits.


Growing amaranth in East Africa

The report just published by National Academies Press notes that many villagers grow native plants like amaranth, cowpea and egusi. Amaranth, for example, is rich in protein and other nutrients². But the scientists consider the crops lost because they have not been developed more widely.

Calestous Juma of Harvard University says scientists and policymakers in other parts of the world generally show little interest in these plants. Colonial³ rulers in Africa imported crops like rice, wheat, corn and soy. But Professor Juma notes that some of these crops grow poorly in many areas of the continent.

Moringa is a tree that produces pods, leaves, seeds and roots that can all be eaten. Another crop listed in the report is the bambara bean plant which is highly nutritious⁴. And another one is the locust⁵ bean. This tree legume can grow as tall as twenty meters. The seeds become ripe in the dry seasons. The tree is valuable for leaf cover as well as food.

Calestous Juma is co-chairman of an expert committee on modern biotechnology for the African Union and the New Partnership⁶ for Africa's Development. Professor Juma says further research on these lost crops will help not just Africa. It would help prepare the world in the event of a food crisis⁷ in other areas.

Agricultural scientist Norman Borlaug led the committee that prepared the report. He won the nineteen seventy Nobel Peace Prize for a green revolution based on improved wheat he developed.

Norman Borlaug was a Rockefeller Foundation scientist for many years. In September, the Rockefeller Foundation and the Gates Foundation announced a joint⁸ effort called the Alliance⁹ for a Green Revolution in Africa.

And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, written by Jerilyn Watson. I'm Steve Ember.

1 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

2 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》

3 colonial   

adj.殖民地的，关于殖民的；n.殖民地，居民

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• The people of Africa have successfully fought against colonial rule.非洲人民成功地反抗了殖民统治。

4 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。

5 locust   

n.蝗虫；洋槐，刺槐

参考例句：

• A locust is a kind of destructive insect.蝗虫是一种害虫。
• This illustration shows a vertical section through the locust.本图所示为蝗虫的纵剖面。

6 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

7 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

8 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

9 alliance   

n.同盟，同盟国，结盟，联姻

参考例句：

• China will not enter into alliance with any big power.中国不同任何大国结盟。
• The new alliance was very much in evidence.新的联盟上星期很引人注目。