VOA慢速英语-Development Report - Could Women Solve the Food Cris

The U.N. holds a high-level conference on world food security this week in Rome. In Washington, a research group says greater investment in female farmers would increase agricultural productivity. Transcript¹ of radio broadcast:
01 June 2008

This is the VOA Special English Development Report.

On Tuesday, the United Nations will open a "food summit" in Rome. Leaders and high-level officials from around the world will meet at the Food and Agriculture Organization headquarters. The F.A.O. says they will discuss the effects of rising food prices, limited resources, climate change, increased energy needs and population growth.

The United Nations agency says the three-day summit offers a historic chance to re-launch the fight against hunger and poverty. Another goal is to increase agricultural production in developing countries.

Poor countries will likely spend up to one hundred seventy billion dollars this year to import food -- up forty percent from last year.

A new report says agricultural prices should ease from their recent record highs. International prices for most crops have started to drop, mainly because of increased production.

But over the next ten years, food prices are expected to average well above levels of the past ten years. World grain supplies are low and need to be refilled, and food crops are being used to make biofuels.

The report came from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the F.A.O.

The F.A.O. has suggested several measures to deal immediately with the situation. These include supplying food to at–risk populations and seeds, fertilizer and animal feed to local farmers.
　

A woman works in a field at a farm near the Tanzanian town of Arusha

But what about long-term answers to food security? The International Center for Research on Women says one answer is investing more in female farmers.

Rekha Mehra is the director for economic and development issues at the Washington-based nonprofit. She says improving women's ability to get resources and technology can directly increase agricultural productivity.

After all, women produce as much as eighty percent of the food in developing countries. In parts of Africa, for example, men are responsible for cash crops while women are generally responsible for food crops. And, around the world, women are the ones mainly responsible for their families’ nutrition.

Women farmers usually have to own land to receive loans and other resources. Yet, in many developing countries, women do not have property rights like men have.

Rekha Mehra says the right to own land will lead to greater investment in the land. She says world leaders need to think about these gender² issues when they meet in Rome this week.

And that’s the VOA Special English Development Report, written by Jill Moss³.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

3 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。