VOA新闻杂志2022 马达加斯加由绿岛变红岛

Madagascar: a Green Island Turns Red

With few trees left to slow the wind in southern Madagascar, sand blows continuously. It settles across fields, villages, roads and in the eyes of hungry children waiting for food aid.

Four years of extremely dry weather and forest clearing to make farmland have turned the once fertile area into a dusty red emptiness.

"There's nothing to harvest. That's why we have nothing to eat and we're starving," said Tarira. The mother of seven waited at the World Food Program (WFP) center near Anjeky Beanatara. She was there to get Plumpy, a dense¹ peanut-based food provided to starving children. The UN agency said more than a million people in southern Madagascar currently need help from the WFP.

Holding her four-year-old son Avoraza by his thin arm, she said, "There are seven, so there wasn't enough food. The Plumpy wasn't enough for him."

Like many others in the area, Tarira and her family have sometimes eaten a local plant called raketa. The plant grows in the wild but provides few valuable nutrients², she said, adding that eating it can cause stomach pain.

Madagascar is the fourth-largest island on Earth and it contains one of the planet's most diverse ecosystems³. It has thousands of species of colorful plants and wild animals. But, it is not all a natural, green paradise. Especially in the south, the environmental reality on the island has changed.

"We used to call Madagascar the green island, but sadly now it is more of a red island," said Soja Lahimaro Tsimandilatse, governor of the southern Androy area.

Praying for rain

The food crisis in southern Madagascar grew over several years. Officials and aid organizations point to a mix of causes: drought, deforestation, other environmental damage, as well as poverty, COVID-19 and population growth.

Madagascar is home to 30 million people. It has always been a place of extreme weather. But scientists say climate change and its fast-increasing temperatures are worsening the situation quickly.

At the height of the food crisis in the south, the WFP warned the island was at risk of seeing "the world's first climate change famine."

Theodore Mbainaissem runs WFP operations in southern Madagascar. He said there are no usual weather patterns any longer. Villagers can no longer predict the best time to plant or harvest.

He said the WFP, other aid organizations and local government have worked to limit the food crisis. He said severe malnutrition⁴ among children had dropped from about 30 percent a few months ago to about 5 percent now.

"When you look in the villages, you see children running left and right. That wasn't the case before," he said.

Local communities are now working on forward-looking projects like an effort to protect hills of sand along the coastal⁵ town of Faux Cap.

But in rural areas where people live in poverty, the crisis grows. Felix Fitiavantsoa was burning down a wooded area to start farming. He and his new wife had to eat. His main worry was whether it would finally rain so he could get started.

"If there's no rain, I don't know what we'll do. We'll pray to God," he said.

Words in This Story

diverse - adj. different from each other

species - n. a group of plants or animals that are similar

drought - n. a long period with little or no rain

pattern - n. a regular and repeated way in which something happens

1 dense   

a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。

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 ecosystems   

n.生态系统( ecosystem的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There are highly sensitive and delicately balanced ecosystems in the forest. 森林里有高度敏感、灵敏平衡的各种生态系统。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Madagascar's ecosystems range from rainforest to semi-desert. 马达加斯加生态系统类型多样，从雨林到半荒漠等不一而足。 来自辞典例句

4 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。

5 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。