VOA标准英语2012--Mystery Maize Disease Strikes Kenya Farms 玉米疾病威胁肯尼亚粮食安全（在线收听）

Mystery Maize Disease Strikes Kenya Farms 

玉米疾病威胁肯尼亚粮食安全

A maize disease is sweeping through Kenya’s small farming communities and, in the South Rift Valley, there are few who haven’t been affected.

Holding up evidence of his dying maize crop, a farmer in the Kenyan community of Bomet is the latest to become entangled in the maize mystery.

紧握着他的即将死亡的玉米作物证据,一位肯尼亚柏梅特社区的农夫成了最近卷入玉米之谜当中的又一名受害者。

“Everything is affected, The five acres [2 hectares], all the way," he says pointing toward his fields, "is all affected.”

“一切都受到了影响,五英亩（2公顷),所有的作物,”他说着，指着他的田地,“所有都受到影响。”

The problem has prompted the local farming leader, assistant police chief and the CEO of a cereal growers association in Nairobi to visit the small farm.

这个问题使当地农业领导人，助理警察局长及内罗毕谷物种植者协会的CEO走访这个小农场。

“They gave us information, after the first rain in January, that it must be something with the rain," says Sigei Aron, the farming leader.

“他们给我们信息,是在一月份第一次雨后,一定是和下雨有关。”农业领导人塞格?阿伦说道。

Assistant police chief Samsung Ngetich suspects the problem lies elsewhere. “I think there was a supply of the wrong seed,”

助理警察局长桑格?内克质疑问题出在其他地方。“我想是错误的种子被供应。”

“How would all those companies give the wrong seed, at the same time, in the same area?” asks David Nyameino, who heads the cereal grower's association.

“所有这些公司如何在同一时间，同一地区提供错误的种子?”大卫?内米诺问道,他领导谷物种植者协会。

Nyameino, who considers himself a maize expert, examines the farmer's dry, yellowish crop.

内米诺自认自己是玉米专家,并考察了农民的干黄作物。

“At this stage, this should be green maize," he says. "But there's no maize...this is what should have been maize, but it’s already dead.”

“在这个阶段,这应该是绿色的玉米,”他说道。“但是没有玉米……这应该是玉米的,但是它已经死了。”

The Kenyan government estimates 40 percent or more of the South Rift Valley's maize crop has been affected.

肯尼亚政府估计南部裂谷40%或更多的玉米作物受到了影响。

Stopping the mysteriously spreading disease is Nyameino's number one priority.

阻止神秘疾病传播是内米诺当前的首要任务。

“The area that gives Kenya real maize is in the North Rift," Nyameino says. "If this disease appears in the north rift, Kenya will become hopeless in terms of food...Kenyans believe maize is the food security for the country."

“供给肯尼亚玉米真正的地区是在北部裂谷,” 内米诺说道。“如果这种疾病出现在北部裂谷,肯尼亚的食品将变得绝望…肯尼亚人相信玉米对于国家而言就是粮食安全。”

It’s unclear what makes the disease spread. Some believe it's the wind or insects, or both. Limited information is also a problem.

目前还不清楚是什么使疾病传播。有些人认为是风或昆虫,或两者都是。有限的信息也是一个问题。

“What is lacking here is awareness of what should be done," Nyameino says, adding that the farmers are receiving contradictory information. "They are saying that they have been advised the stocks should not be fed to the animals, but the current information we have from the government is there is no problem to feed the animals with the stock.”

“现在缺乏的是意识到应该做些什么,”内米诺补充道农民正在接受矛盾的信息。“他们说他们已经被建议储藏物不能用来喂动物,但当前我们已经从政府得到的信息是用储藏物给动物喂食没有问题。”

Aron, the local farming leader, planted a test field in search of answers. He successfully grew sweet potatoes here, and in the same field as the disease-infected maize, he grew millet, another staple food for Kenya.

当地农业领导人艾荣计划在一个地区进行测试来寻找答案。他成功地在这里培育出甜土豆，而他又在玉米受到疾病感染的同一地区培育出小米,这是肯尼亚的另一种主食。

Although that's a positive sign, assistant police chief Ngetich predicts the worst.

虽然这是一种积极的信号,但助理警察局长内克则预计最糟糕的情况。

“We are fearing the children might not go to school next time, and also there will be no food for the community," he says. "So we need help, if there can be somewhere, so we can assist these people, to cut down this and maybe to plant short season crops to save their lives."

“我们担心孩子们下一次可能不去上学，也不会给社区食物,”他说道。“所以我们需要帮助,如果在某处可以有的话,我们可以帮助这些人，也许种植短季节作物缩减来挽救他们的生命。

Meanwhile, the group continues to investigate, looking for a cause and trying to solve the mystery, in hopes of saving lives.

与此同时,这一小组仍在继续调查,寻找原因,并试图解开这个谜团,希望能够拯救生命。